The Perfect Stranger The Revised Edition
by Princess Jadykins
Summary: Yami is a half vampire/ half human guy on the run from his vampire family, however once he meets Tea Gardner he risks the chance of falling in love, which places them both in grave danger. Warning: Lemons and disturbing plots! CHAPTER 21 FINALLY UP
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while since you all have seen me and I gather you're all like – "What about the other stories you started?" … Well I'm no quitter, but when I started going over my original works, I thought that I could do much better. So I'm rewriting the entire thing from scratch! This means new characters, new plots, more steamy love scenes, etc. **

**However I must warn you guys ahead of time that I will keep some of my favourite scenes, so you may find some scenes that are exactly the same as the previous version. Of course…a tad more detail may be added.**

**I apologize for my lengthy absence and thank you all for taking the time to read this. Now onto the story…**

**Rated: 'M' for mature content. Sensitive readers I suggest you skip the italics section, and you needn't worry for it doesn't contain any important information that is needed for further chapters, other than the strength of their physical connection…okay? **

**Disclaimer: Sorry guys, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, it would suck if I did.**

**AN: Enjoy!**

**Dedicated to my number one fan that I swore I would write this for. This is for you Sis.**

**Chapter 1**

When did it all begin? When exactly had her once icy cold world, turned into a tropically warm paradise… only to fall victim to an ice storm? Perhaps it all began the moment she stared into his fiery red eyes, the colour of a rising sun from behind the hills of an African safari. Or was it his warm, dry touch that melted away the ice around her heart?

She had no idea.

All she knew was that she didn't want it to end, that she would do anything to hold her world's falling pieces together, even if that meant her death…

Her dazzling azure eyes opened softly as she awakened, catching an enchanted glimpse of a bright full moon that hung heavily and alone in the dark velvet night sky. Nighttime.

Usually she was afraid, for with the retiring of the sun and the ghostly appearance of the moon, brought whatever hid in the light, out to rejoice in the darkness, a place where she felt powerless and vulnerable. The dark brought out the monsters that tormented man since the beginning of time, yet also forced them to confront their fears, sometimes fears that were scarier than the thing that lived in the closet.

Her father was one of those things.

His face peered out of the shadows, sneering down at her with a grotesque expression that made her feel sick and weak, but always terrified. And when the light came, he disappeared, but she always feared the night, for his last promise to her was that he would come back. A promise she knew he would keep.

Yet, as she lay snuggly in the safe embrace of her protector's arms, wrapped strongly around her slim waist, the everlasting fear that she had had of the darkness no longer consumed her…

Turning her gaze onto his godly perfect face, she once again gasped in awe of his beauty, still not used to his darkly angelic perfection that far outweighed any human's. With his beautiful eyes tightly closed and his face completely relaxed, he seemed to be in a deep sleep, but she knew that his senses were instinctively alert for any signs of danger.

She could have watched him sleep forever and never grow tired of it. While watching him, her mind went over their sinful acts that had taken place earlier that night, arousing her yet once again…

(Flashback)

He gently brushed a few rebellious strands of hair away from her eyes, staring down into them with a controlled intensity that seemed to burn a deep hole inside her soul. It was in that simple, yet powerful moment that she knew that she loved him.

'Take me- just take me,' she silently pleaded to him with her thoughts, the only place where she ever dared to say anything intimate or passionate to him. She could have sworn she saw his eyes glow for a short second, before he reluctantly, but gently brought his lips to hers.

Although she had never been a stranger to kisses, she had only read about the explosive sensations that flamed through her the moment their lips touched, taking her completely by surprise. He bit down on her bottom lip gently, sliding his tongue over its surface before suckling on it. He was such a great kisser…

She felt the heat of his passion warm her as she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue into his, finding him as delicious as he looked. She pulled herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck a little roughly, feeling her body react positively to his.

She felt him shudder as his control began to slip away to a point of no return. He had only meant to take it lightly, but what was happening between them was quickly brewing into something less innocent. He could feel his body heating with intensity and swelling in his lower regions as her body molded perfectly into his.

Her skin felt hot against his, and before he knew it, an uncomfortable needy ache that was hard to ignore swelled below his belt line. He hastily broke the kiss and with much effort pushed himself away from her, though the desire in his eyes was as evident as the fear in them. This was a very dangerous line to cross, though it pained him to resist.

"We shouldn't," he whispered huskily, attracting Tea even further to him. She breathed in heavily as she tried in vain to gain control over her body, which would have crumbled into a pathetic puddle if he hadn't held her as securely as he did. "Why?" she whispered in a gasp, as though she were short of breath. "It's too dangerous." He whispered softly, but deep down they both knew that he would never hurt her.

Something stirred within her then that she had never felt before, a powerful feeling that warmed her from within. She shook her head as a new spark of confidence pulsed through her, allowing her to go further than she had ever dared or dreamed. "Not when I'm with you Yami."

(Pausing Flashback)

Those same words repeated over and over again in her mind, filled with undying strength and truth that had come directly from her heart that continued to race in her chest. She stared at him affectionately while he slept, warmed by his presence that kept her oblivious to the cold breeze that wrapped around their bare bodies that were only half covered by a silky white linen sheet.

He made her feel safe and more loved than she had ever been in her entire existence, and when he held her, danger simply didn't exist…

(Continuing flashback)

He gently pressed her up against the wall, dragging his hands up along her sides while they shared a steamy kiss. Gripping his shoulders, she hoisted herself up so that her legs could wrap around his waist, feeling how hard he was when she brushed up against a rather noticeable bulge in his skintight biker leather pants, earning a low grow that escaped him through clenched teeth.

She could feel his pulse racing in time with hers, and knew that there was no going back now, not that she would have ever found the will power to stop. Heat and erotic sensations pulsed through her body, pleasurably coursing to her lower regions which were rubbing up against him as they rocked in an up and down motion.

She felt her hands move automatically run along his broad shoulders, taking short breaths of admiration by how iron hard his muscles were. The discovery sent shivers of excitement through her and she simply had to see all of him.

She hastily began to pull at the hems of his chest-hugging black tank top, impatiently lifting it over his head in a swift jerky movement and found herself frankly flabbergasted. Nothing that she had ever seen, or ever read about, at what was thought to be a perfected male body, could have prepared her.

His abs were so perfectly chiseled that would have easily mistaken him for a Greek god statue, not to mention he had an eight-pack that would have even made the Terminator-guy jealous. She couldn't help but gasp in awe and run her hands along them, feeling their iron-hard strength that turned her on fiercely.

Noticing her shocked and awed expression, he smirked amusedly. "Like what you see?"

She smiled encouragingly at him, her eyes glazed over in lust. Feeling herself securely held in his strong arms as he carried her to the bed, which offered a more comfortable setting for their 'deed.'

He didn't throw her down roughly like all the other guys in her past, or fall on top of her like she had been too heavy to carry…Instead he took her by surprise, and carefully laid her down on the silky sheet spreading with cautious eyes that held hers, obviously searching for any signs that she wished him to stop.

She clutched his hand and pulled him on top of her, purposely grinding herself against him suggestively; kicking whatever thought he had of backing out, completely out of the apartment's window, seven stories high from the concrete sidewalk below…killing it instantly.

She swung their bodies around so that she was on top of him, straddling his hips with her knees. It was the only time she had ever felt powerful enough to have control over him. Smiling down at him seductively, she began to undo her buttoned- up white top, in slow motion, while rocking gently up and down over his bulge.

She could see the desirable effect that was taking place in his dazzling crimson orbs, and yet saw the desperate control that fought to keep its place. She briefly wondered if she was causing him pain, but he reassured her by giving into a low moan and closing his eyes as his body rippled in pleasure.

She tossed her shirt aside with blissful ease and loved the look of lustful awe that formed on Yami's face as he took in her exposed, natural beauty for the first time. She truly was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on, making the moment even more perfect.

She slid her hands over his chest, making her way down to the almost unbearably aching part of his body. Making him shiver in ecstasy. She first tortuously traced her fingers over the buckle of his studded belt, before beginning to undo it, watching delightfully as she squirmed beneath her touch. She resisted the urge of her old habit to say one of the cheap lines that she had been taught to say, to all her previous 'boyfriends,' like, "Wow you are really a big boy aren't you?" after deciding that Yami wasn't that type of guy…

The thought relived her. He wasn't that type of guy!

She semi-roughly gripped onto it torturously, massaging the tip with her forefingers, ripples of excitement dancing gloriously through her body as her lower regions too, ached for attention.

Yami let out a stifled moan, gripping onto the bed sheets, his eyes closing as ripples of electrifying pleasure coursed through his aroused body.

It was time for her to take the next step as she lowered herself down and took his length into the warmth of her mouth.

His body jerked at the sudden contact, but soon fell into waves of passion as she began to bob up and down, speeding up her actions as she went. He arched his back as he came close to reaching his limit. It had never felt like this before, as his sensations seemed to be intensified.

He was surprised to see that Tea didn't spit him out, but instead swallowed every bit of him, which was quite remarkable really, but he wasn't about to let her spend another second unattended, and pulled her under him, giving him all the power he needed over her…

(Pausing flashback)

A light blush spread over Tea's chalky pale cheeks as she remembered how he looked at her. His eyes that had once been so cold and angry, and overall frightening, had warmed into hers as though she were the ultimate prize he had ever won. He didn't look at her with scorn or just lust. In fact his eyes at that moment barely held lust at all. What she saw was…dare she even think it…love?

(Continuing flashback)

He trailed butterfly kisses along her collarbone, making his way to her perky breasts that were just too irresistible to resist. He flicked his tongue over her right nipple before suckling on it; pleased with himself when he heard her low aroused moan that gave him all the encouragement he needed to continue.

Skillfully running his hand down her side, he was able to grip the waistline of the short mini skirt, that had practically driven his hormones racing against his better judgment all evening long, and tugged it off without the slightest of difficulty, revealing an even sexier enemy, lacy black underwear…naturally begging him to yank them off.

It wasn't long before they disappeared too…

However, in spite of the unbearable need for her, he felt uneasy about going further than what he already was… Glancing down into her lovely blue eyes one final time, he found the trust and eagerness that he needed to precede.

With his heartbeat racing and the sound of her own thundering heart, he continued onward, sliding his tongue into her delicious tasting tunnels, feeling her squirm beneath him and moan loudly as she reached her climax.

Before he could do anymore, she gripped onto his shoulders and pulled him down for another heated kiss.

He secretly heard her thoughts before she was even able to say them. 'Stop teasing me!'

"Very well then," He whispered huskily into her ear, aware of the shudder that coursed through her body by his words. He climbed out of his leather pants and positioned himself at her entrance. This was it, there was no going back after this, yet somehow he knew that he would never regret this.

He was somewhat glad that she wasn't a virgin; it made it easier and far more enjoyable. He didn't know how he would have handled it if Tea had started crying like most virgin girls did because of the pain in the process. He shuddered to even think of it.

Sliding into her was smooth and pleasurable, and both moaned in ecstasy as an overpowering sensation consumed them. She slid her nails along his back, which broke skin, but healed before the lines were even visible. However neither of them even noticed as they stared passionately into each other's eyes. He began to thrust into her quicker, picking up speed as the need between them grew vigorously.

She moaned loudly, burying her face in his chest, her climax reaching close. He held onto her as tightly as he could without hurting her, resisting every natural instinct that told him to bite her. He couldn't…and he definitely wouldn't.

They reached a mind blowing climax that left both of them breathless, collapsing into each other's arms as a cool breeze drifted in from the window. Tea held onto him as though he would float away if she didn't. He breathed in deeply, staring into her eyes warmly, with a soft smile curled warmly onto his lips.

"You're amazing!" she gawked, taking in his amazingly handsome features, as though she had seen him for the first time.

"If that's true, then I have found my match," he whispered through a tired grin, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

(End of flashback)

As Tea remembered the passionate love she and Yami had made, she once again became aroused. No other guy had ever made her feel the way Yami had when he touched her. She felt safe in his arms, like he would never let go of her or let anyone hurt her.

Shifting closer to his sleeping form, she gently planted a kiss on his lips, fighting back the urge to force herself on him. It wasn't a second's later that he returned the kiss, clearly not asleep after all. His richly red eyes opened once again, and she found herself sinking into their dazzling depths that made the world she seemed to leave, a boring and empty place.

He pulled her closer, skin-to-skin, fire and ice, all mixing into something wonderful and passionate.

It was hard to believe how they came to be, yet Tea's mind played over the previous days events, and how much knowledge she had been forced to absorb in such a short amount of time, but it didn't matter because she was with her true love and nothing could tear them apart…or so she thought.

**Not much has changed in the first chapter, except some minor added details. I'd be pretty impressed if you actually re-read (dodges flying objects) the entire passage again, a big thank you for that. **

**The plot of the story is actually going to change quite drastically from here, but don't worry you can expect many appearances of our much loved Yu-Gi-Oh characters, especially Yugi and Kaiba…but you'll have to be patient.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a nice day. Meet you in the next chapter!**

**(Dodges another object)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again guys so you've made it to chapter two. I had a lot of fun changing this chapter around because I had a feeling you'd get bored if I kept it exactly the same. So anyway I want to know how you guys feel about this new chapter so I won't keep you any longer. Please enjoy and thanks for reading… **

**Rating: M, for the potty-mouthed language! 'Wink' **

**Disclaimer: Yeah I own Yu-gi-oh... as well as Venus and Mars! **

**AN: Chapters from here on out take place in the past until I say otherwise.**

**Dedicated not only to my Sis, but also to all those have gone through some of the situations my characters have gone through – my heart goes out to you.**

**Chapter Two / Into the Past**

_Yami had never seen Aknadin so angry before. The man's eyes were engulfed with rage that made him seem feral and somewhat murderous. His right hand seemed to clench at his side in time with his slightly twitching right eye, and his mouth seemed set in a straight angry line…_

_Yami gulped nervously as he took in his angry uncle, noticing for the first time that the man was soaked from head to toe._

"_Nephew…Yami…where is your brother?" Aknadin asked through clenched teeth, his voice strained and angry. _

_Yami couldn't find his voice quick enough. _

"_Damn it Yami speak up!" He bellowed, almost shaking the walls as though he had set off an earthquake. _

"_I- I- I don't know Uncle," he answered quickly, taking a step back. He felt his pulse quickened involuntarily, and had to dash to the side when his uncle stormed past him, making his way down the hall like a hurricane on a mission._

_What exactly had Yugi done now?_

_He made his way to the nearest door out of the tomb, or doors in this particular tomb's case. It would only have been logical for Yugi to have fled the tomb and gone into the light where Aknadin wouldn't have been able to get hold of him. Not that they were aloud to go out during the day either._

_Yami glanced up nervously to the ceiling, almost seeing through the solid concrete, imagining a bright blue sky illuminated by a golden ball of fire. He could picture Yugi lying on his back with his arms casually folded behind his head, staring up at the sky blankly while dreaming of something else or probably grinning about his latest prank._

'_Or plotting his next one," Yami thought, fighting back a grin of his own._

_The bright sunlight caught him off guard, and he stumbled back into the tomb covering his eyes. "Dear Ra!" he cursed, opening and closing his eyes in pain until they were used to the difference. He was blind only for a short few minutes, before his vision settled on the beauty of the sand dunes and a light blue sky that wasn't black and filled with stars like he was used to._

_The golden ball, known to him as the 'Eye of Ra,' was close to setting, though it still had about an hour to go. Its beauty captivated him, just as it had so many times when he and his brother, criminally snuck out to lurk amongst the land of the living against the strict laws laid down by their father._

_He would miss sunlight very much…_

"_Brother!" a voice similar to his own called to him from his side. "To what doth this fine day owe to thee for thy's appearance on this fine-"_

"_Yugi do you even know what you are saying?" Yami resisted the urge to grin as he turned to face a mirror image of himself, leaning casually against the tomb's wall with a look of mischief evident on his face._

_A look of amusement engulfed his young, half-human brother's face, "No, not really."_

_Remembering Aknadin's angry glare, Yami quickly gathered himself before he caught Yugi's contagious sense of humor. "Yugi, what did you do?" He demanded, his tone low and serious, though Yugi didn't seem at all phased by it. _

"_Why brother I don't know what you're talking about," he stated, smirking evilly as a dark glint formed in his eyes. Suddenly an image of what Yugi was thinking appeared in his mind and Yami gasped in shock._

"_Yugi! You idiot! You spiked the blood? Are you crazy? Has the sunlight caused you to lose your mind?" He asked his twin brother incredulously, amazed by his bravery to challenge their father in such a way, though despite his best of efforts to remain serious, he couldn't help but grin. "Father is going to kill you!"_

_Yugi laughed a genuine human laugh, which sounded clumsy and a little high pitched, but human all the same. It was one of the things Yami loved about him. Yugi, in spite of been reckless and completely irresponsible…among other things…had always had the most human qualities Yami had ever known, and been around Yugi made him feel more human than he was._

_Yugi simply shrugged before turning his attention to the departing sun. _

"_What about Aknadin? Was what happened to him your doing as well?" Yami asked, flinching at the thought of their enraged uncle storming through the semi-empty tomb, ripping apart whatever stood in his way while he searched for his 'endangered nephew' that was shortly about to become his newest victim. _

"_Aknadin?" Yugi asked confused, side glancing at Yami._

"_Yes, our uncle is after your blood below us," Yami mumbled, automatically glancing down at the sandy ground._

"_Interesting…that trap was meant for Seto," Yugi replied after a few minutes, sounding slightly upset. "Too bad really, I guess I'll have to set a better one in the future."_

_Yami looked at his brother with a bewildered expression. "Yugi!"_

_Suddenly Yugi's eyes widened and he excitedly pointed straight ahead of them with a wide smile spread across his face. "Yami look!"_

_Yami looked, their previous conversation forgotten as incredibly large flock of birds passed over them like a black cloud. "I've never seen anything like this before!" he gasped, waiting for Yugi to say something sarcastic in reply…but he never did._

_Yami stole a glance at his brother's face, surprised to catch a glimpse of an odd emotion that looked like that of defeat. It was an alien look and one that had never formed on his over-confident brother's face. He was about to ask about it, but Yugi quickly interrupted._

"_By the way brother, have you forgotten what day it is today?"_

_An eerie chill hung over them in that moment, almost as though a terrible storm was lurking on the horizon. _

_He tried to think of the date, but time had stood still around the tomb for so long that he had simply lost track of the of the days. "I'm afraid I have, was it of any importance?" he replied after a short while, watching the unusual emotions that flickered through his brother's eyes._

_Yugi tilted his head upward in an almost sarcastic manner, "Most would think so."_

"_Would you care to enlighten me?" He suddenly felt his stomach clench as his instinctive warning bells began to alarm him._

_Yugi's gaze left his, as he turned subconsciously towards where the sun had began to lower behind the large sand dunes of the Sahara Desert. _

"_Today happens to be our sixteenth birthday…"_

Yami's eyes opened in time to witness a diamond-like star, spark across the blackened night sky. He would have made a wish, if he had felt that he had deserved to make one, but instead allowed it to pass over him, partly noticed and set free. Someone else could have their wish granted.

Memories of his sixteenth birthday, which had been one of his many tragedies since birth and probably the worst, continued to haunt him, despite his useless attempt to block them out.

A gentle wind stirred around the rather dilapidated apartment building rooftop, bringing with it rich human scents of the locals living in Domino City, as well as whispered pieces of conversations that only his sensitive hearing could pick up on.

He felt a familiar burn at the back of his throat, as the cravings began to increase with a vengeance. The withdrawal symptoms were getting worse, and he found that even his hands were beginning to tremble, and his constant mood swings that made him seem to be on the borderline of a bipolar disorder. He needed…'it.'

He rose from the ledge that he had been seated on for more than six hours since sunset, staring at the world, as it became smothered in darkness. He could hear an argument between a man and woman from somewhere in an apartment below him, a rather violent sounding one.

"Ya're trash Kit! Ya' don't 'serve better than wha' ya got!" A man's drunken voice bellowed loudly. Yami momentarily glanced downward where he pin pointed the location of the argument, hardly surprised when he saw the state of the apartment's broken window, which was covered with duck-tape and covered from view with shabby cream blinds that looked stained.

"Screw you, you drunk bastard, I don't giv'a flying-" Yami flinched when he heard the sound of what sounded like a fist meeting delicate skin. The girl whom he assumed to be Kit, quickly shut up and gave into a low whimpering. "Shut the fuck up, you little tramp!"

Yami's heightened senses could detect the overpowering emotion of his threat, and that was all he needed to understand the drunkard human. He didn't understand why human girls remained tied to violent bullies when there were chances of escape, even after their lives were threatened…how foolish.

He began to take a step forward when he felt his right leg clench into a spasm and almost fell to his knees in pain. He needed blood, whether he liked it not…

* * *

The roar of drunk cheering thundered from within the small nightclub, as a popular hit began to play.

Tea Gardner felt somewhat glad that she was on the outside, doing the last of her chores before she could head home. Softly humming the same tune to herself, she hauled an extremely heavy trash bag into an oversized dumpster with the last of her strength, almost collapsing down beside it. Yet before she could make a flighty escape from the raunchy hell she had to work in, she sensed another presence, slowly making its way towards her.

"Yo' Tea baby!" A deep, slurring voice boomed from behind her.

Tea felt her body stiffen and reluctantly turned around to face her manager, who was only five paces away from her. Like always he had a cigarette dangling from his lips, with his shirt unbuttoned and bloodshot eyes staring hungrily ahead of him at anything that moved.

"James," she acknowledged, taking a small sidestep that she hoped he wouldn't follow.

"I was wonderin' if yer not busy that 'aybe you and I could-"

Tea didn't wait for him to finish his invitation and instead put on her best apologetic smile that she could fake. "Sorry not tonight I've made…plans."

"Cum now baby I gotta hav' ya now," He slurred, making his way over to her with a sadistic smirk spread across his face.

Tea felt hopelessly defeated and trapped in more ways than one. There was nowhere to run as James blocked the only exit, and even if she could run, he would have simply fired her, and then she'd be out of a job too.

He pinned her roughly against the cold metal of the dumpster, grinding himself against her while his hands fondled her breasts. She clenched her teeth tightly in order to stifle the moan of disgust that she felt as his erection rubbed against her inner thigh.

He smelt of alcohol and cigarette smoke tinted with a cheap scented perfume of sorts; an intoxicating combination that made her feel sick and want to gag.

He brought his hands down her sides, completely oblivious to her negative reactions and began to pull on her skirt.

"James I don't think we should," Tea mumbled fearfully.

"Shun-t up Tina, I got to have' ye now," He spat, ripping her skirt down, eyeing her hungrily. She could practically see him drooling and had to look away. It would be over quick, she told herself, taking in a deep breath when she felt his clammy fingers hook into her panties.

She felt her body grow numb as it always did when someone touched her. It was the only way she could avoid the pain, or at least some of it. She gazed up longingly into the velvet night sky, pin-pricked with tiny dazzling stars.

It was by chance that she caught sight of the shooting star, beautifully dashing across the night's sky without restraint. She was supposed to make a wish right? Well at least that was what she thought someone had once told her. She smiled sadly as she stared into the black emptiness in which the shoot star had fled. She only wanted to be happy, that was her only wish, but she didn't feel that she deserved to make it…

* * *

He was just about to head in the direction of his apartment window, when a door slammed somewhere below him. He automatically responded to it, as he instinctively peered down onto the dingy street, catching sight of a sobbing girl, blindly making her way down a dodgy street, which even he could tell was a bad idea.

He was about to turn away, when the smell hit him like an overpowering tidal wave. The girl was bleeding…

His hunter's abilities kicked in, which were as natural as any predator's. Every sense in his body seemed to focus entirely on her, and noticed even the simplest of details, such as the sound of her blood streaming through her veins, the sound of her uneven breathing and the light thudding of her heart.

He tried to fight the gravitational pull that drew him to her blood, failing miserably as his body moved without his consent, skillfully leaping from one shadowed corner to the next, trailing hungrily after her delicious scent.

She never lifted her misty gaze from the grimy floor, to look around her for any signs of danger, which opened herself up for an easy attack. She made herself an easy target, which made her too irresistible and desirable to him, a fatal combination. Yet as he soon discovered it wasn't only him that she was opening an opportunity for.

He first caught their boozy scents before he saw them, hidden predators that lurked sourly in the city's downtown slum, just living for such an opportunity. He could practically sense what the thugs were thinking instead of hearing them, and watched as they slowly slithered out of their dark corners, to swagger after the defenseless girl who had not yet seen them.

"Ey baby!" A rather drunken voice called out, as he materialized out of a shadowed alley. His voice seemed to trigger a pack of werewolves as howls and whistles chorused throughout the darkened street. There were more of them than Yami had anticipated.

He heard her pulse jolt in shock, as she whirled around to gaze in the voice's direction.

"Yo' babe where ya going?" another voice mocked, "K'me a-and have sem fun wit re-eel men!" The voice sounded ridiculous compared to the rest, which had all sounded rather deep and manly, like it hadn't yet broken. Yami assumed this particular 'being' to be very young, perhaps fifteen at the most.

The girl did her best to ignore them, though she was slightly shaken by their sudden appearance, and tried to continue forward without revealing any signs of nervousness, but her actions were in vain, as the thugs could see right through her. Not that they would have cared either way.

They began to leave their posts, emerging from so many different angles that even an experienced hunter like Yami had been taken by surprise. The girl however, seemed to melt into a panic and froze in her spot like an ice sculpture, her wet spongy eyes wide in terror, as they surrounded her.

A tall guy, built like a basket ball player, staggered toward her cockily, his fingers curled around a large bottle of Jack Daniel's finest, a grotesque expression plastered on his face, which seemed to be an alien breed of what Yami assumed was lust and a drunken grin. It kind of reminded him of a pumpkin on a Halloween display.

The big guy didn't waste time in intros and instantly gripped the girl's shoulder, pulling her close to him against her will. "Come with me baby, I'll show you what it's like to be touched by a real man!" he laughed, suggestively pushing her backward. It was a disgusting and overall disturbing laugh that reminded him too much of the vampires back home, and that pissed him off.

As she felt him grip her shoulders, she seemed to snap out of her trance.

"No! I don't want to go with you!" she cried, gripping at his arms in a useless attempt to free herself from his grasp. "Sure ya do baby!" he insisted, dragging her away with him, while his cheery band of drunkards staggered after him. "Ss-he sure's real sexy when she' scared huh Rio?" One of his mindless followers imputed, seeming to hop around them as though dancing a tribally, while they dragged her away.

"No please! Please! Somebody please, somebody help me!" her screams seemed to loudly echo on forever, and yet no a single soul responded to aid her. It was at that moment that something inside Yami broke through to his human soul, and he knew he had to help her.

The tall muscular bully forcefully slapped a hand over her mouth, grinning hysterically, "Now-now baby girl you don't want to make a scene-"

"Let her go!" Yami ordered, in a stern aggravated voice that stopped them all dead in their tracks. Despite his little-above-average height, his voice always held a certain powerful strength that hinted at danger, and if used correctly could strike fear into the stoniest of hearts.

However, the assumed leader Rio ignored the chill that shivered up his spine and instantly went on to challenge the stranger that had dared to interrupt him. "Wa' ya say pipsqueak?" he barked, sending gobs of spit flying through the air and stared right into Yami's intimidating pair of blood red eyes, doing his best to intimidate him, which fell flat.

"I'm sorry, were those words too big for your understanding?" Yami smirked, taking a dangerous, yet intimidating step forward, his fiery red eyes burning into Rio's.

"Pisss on outta here dip shit or we'al beat da crap outta ya!" Rio threatened, surprise tinting his black eyes, clearly taken aback by Yami's confidence.

"I'm not leaving without the girl," he threatened darkly, feeling his control slip slightly as his senses burned with lustful desire as he caught the different scents of blood swirling seductively around him, slowly unleashing his vampiric side.

"Fuck him!" Rio roared, tossing the girl like a weightless rag doll to the ground, and charged forward like a deranged animal, while other members of his gang came at him from all angles.

'_Fools!' _

Before they could even brush against his studded black leather jacket, he leapt from the ground, gliding graciously through the night's sky and landed perfectly on the ground behind them, like a cat, as they all jumped forward into an empty spot.

He couldn't help but be amused at the sound of skulls meeting skulls in an unearthly cracking sound, and found a smug smirk curl onto his lips. One surviving member that managed to still stand upright, though seemed to be out of focus, made a run toward him, throwing an iron hard punch in his direction, but Yami caught it easily and twisted his arm into a break.

The sound of the bone snapping startled the already terrified girl and she gave a sickening shriek, covering her ears while fresh tears drenched her face.

Two new members jumped up and rushed at him, but Yami was already prepared and dodged their attacks with perfect ease, grabbing their heads in one swift motion and shoved them together, knocking them out cold. The thud was loud, but not fatal in spite of its harshness.

Only Rio remained, completely startled and thrown off guard after watching Yami diminishing his small army single-handedly. However, Yami was far from finished and took an intimidating step closer to him, asking him one final time to hand over the sobbing girl.

"Son of a bitch!" Rio raged, charging forward with the intention to kill, slicing a knife through the air, which Yami couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to hide.

It wasn't all that hard to dodge, in fact he was sure that just about any human in a calm state of mind would have been able to do it. He simply stepped to the side in the nick of time, grabbed the knife bearing hand and pulled it right out of its socket, sending Rio into screaming fits of pain.

"You fuck-in-" Yami cut him off but kneeing him in the gut, then kicked his legs out from underneath him, sending him to the scummy, concrete paving that was anything but pleasant to land on, before making his way to the crying girl, desperately trying to keep his calm composure, though his insides were screaming in hunger.

"Are you all-" His words were cut off sharply as he felt an incredible, sharp pain slice through his left shoulder blade. The girl let out a horrified high pitch scream that echoed off the dodgy buildings, and hurt his sensitive hearing more than the knife wound in his back. He glanced behind him infuriated as he glared into Rio's widened eyes, as he held the knife that was deeply imbedded in Yami's back.

He swung around so quickly that his attacker's eyes hadn't even been able to process it, and with a powerful gesture he shoved Rio so hard that he practically flew into the wall that stood ten meters away, which caused a rather large crack and a tiny shower of plaster to rain down on his unconscious body. "Get up from that, Ass-hole."

He didn't waste time in yanking the knife out, taking a small breath before he ripped it out of his flesh, cussing lightly under his breath as the sensitive skin surrounding the open gash stung in protest. "Damn it, what the-" he smelt blood…

The adrenaline seemed to ware off, and he was once again consumed by the weakness of denying himself of blood. Even though he caught scent of his own blood, he could still smell the blood of his fallen opponents, and even…the sobbing girl before him. He was standing in the center of a bloodbath.

"Hey are you okay?" she gasped, obviously noticing his strained expression and mistaking it for a different kind of pain, a safer kind of pain. He reluctantly looked at her; aware of her thudding heart and flowing blood that sounded exactly like a ravishing flowing river of his forbidden desire. It was her lively charm that made her so mouth wateringly delicious.

"You saved my life," she began, stiffly raising herself from the ground clumsily, massaging her elbows, which were badly scraped.

A droplet of her own blood fell to the ground…

His tongue automatically slid over his top lip as his eyes fixated on her bleeding wound. He felt his pulse quicken and his breathing become heavier and labored. Just a small taste…

She trustingly made her way to him with soft delicate eyes that were still startled by what had happened earlier. "Crap, you're hurt, we need to get you to a-" He grabbed her arms and forced her against the back of a brick wall, breathing in her intoxicating scent. He felt his fangs begin to slide down from their hiding place, as well as the break in control that he had desperately tried to maintain his whole life.

A brief flash of his brother, on their sixteenth birthday, broke through the dark blankness that had clouded his mind, and woke him up instantly.

"Run…run from here now!" he growled through clenched teeth, loosening his grip on the girl. "Get…out…of…here!" he could hear her startled thoughts as she reluctantly pulled herself together and fled, glancing behind her as she made a run for it, though he couldn't have cared less, what became of her, as long as he didn't have anything to do with it.

He punched the wall in frustration, cringing as the bone-crunching spasms convulsed through his body. If he didn't have his typical manly pride that he was born with, he would have cried for all he was worth and perhaps allowed himself to crumble into a fetal position and remain like that until some hungry hobo decided to eat him…but he wasn't that guy, and as much as it hurt, forced himself to get up and stifle the moans of pain that threatened to escape him.

He glanced up at the starry night sky, silently cursing his existence. He leaned a hand against the wall to balance himself turning slightly to the left, when he noticed her for the first time…the most beautiful girl he had ever seen…staring back at him with a pair of dazzling blue eyes, clouded in misty tears and widened in shock…

**

* * *

****Wow this has to be the longest chapter I have ever written! I wasn't going to write the fight scene in the beginning, but I mean if you think of it, it's kind of important, because it shows Yami's struggle between his human side and vampiric side. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed the new bits, because it's all part of my unfolding plan! Mwahahahahaha! See you the next chapter, bye bye! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the story's remake so far…because now you're probably going to kill me. The italics section is exactly the same as the original version, just in case you're tired of reading the same thing…no throwing bad fruit at the writer! Hehehehe, anyways thanks for reading this again, I really do hope that you are enjoying it and liking the improvements, but if you're not, feel free to inform me, and I'll go back to writing the old one. Deal? Okay, here's the next chapter!**

**Rating: M for Mature reasons…duh!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh, because if I did it would suck and we all know that it doesn't.**

**AN: Please enjoy!**

**Chapter Three**

"_Te-ea…" Her name was whispered through the darkness, taking hold of her body like a cold and clammy tentacle that temporarily cut off her oxygen supply._

_The Boogieman's footsteps echoed off her bedroom walls like thunder in a bad dream, coming toward her bed with sinister intentions that she at the age of six, had no understanding of._

"_Hush now baby girl, everything will be alright. I'm here now." She felt his hand come down heavily on the patch just below her knew, sliding upward to her thigh in a sickening gesture of what he called 'affection.'_

_Other children had warned her about the closet monster that crept out of the closet and kidnapped young children while they slept, taking them to a dark place similar to hell where they would remain forever. They said he was tall and frightening and of course real mean, but she had a new description of him – pure evil._

_He did this every night; he picked on her._

_After pulling the blanket off he would slide his cold hands over her body and then remove her pajama bottoms. She hated it when he did that, it felt wrong and made her feel like a really bad girl._

"_I don't like it!" she had once whispered, but he gripped her arms tightly and said in a fairly convincing rasp, "But I love you and this is how two people show their love," before planting a sickening dry kiss on her lips. She had wanted to cry, even scream, but her body was numb in frozen shock._

_His hands investigated every inch of her body, sending sickening shivers through her entire being. Everything felt wrong and confusing and utterly disgusting, but she couldn't stop him, even when it all began to hurt…_

"_Now Tea, I have only one rule for you," he would say after each session that had left her body badly bruised and naked, and on some occasions bleeding. "This is 'our' little secret okay," his gruff whisper emphasizing particularly on the 'our.' "You must never tell anyone is that understood?" He glared down at her through soulless blue eyes that mirrored hers._

_She reluctantly raised her lovely pair of wide eyes to his, her heart thudding against her chest and her stomach churning uneasily. She had to be a good girl and do as she was told. Just like her mother had taught her…_

"_Yes Daddy…I understand." _

Streams of tears flowed delicately from the corners of her eyes as she jolted to an upright position, after awakening from an all too familiar nightmare that had haunted her nights for as long as she could remember. She could still feel his ghostly presence within the room and had to force herself to calm down.

Even though her logical sense told her that he wasn't there, she couldn't help but hold her breath, expecting his cold clammy hands to materialize from out of the dark, reaching out to touch her. Sometimes she would even see him, peering at her from across the room, before vanishing into the shadows, and sometimes his disgusting scent would linger behind.

Perhaps she was going crazy. Maybe she was crazy.

She hurriedly turned on her side lamp, welcoming its brightness with a deep breath of relief. Her pillow, as she soon discovered, had not only been clenched into a small ball, but was also completely soaked in her salty tears. '_Crap!_'

There was no way she was going to get any sleep after the nightmare that she had just had, and despite it been the early hours of the morning, she found herself getting up and heading to the kitchen to get something to eat.

While pouring herself some orange juice, she glanced out of her apartment window, with a pained expression that she had never truly rid herself of. In spite of everything that had happened to her during her upbringing, she was better off than most.

She completed her high school education with average grades and had been accepted into Domino City's finest ballet academy, which started in a few weeks time. She had two part-time jobs, which paid for her studies and provided her with an apartment to live in, and didn't do the whole drug thing that most of the girls she worked with did, and luckily couldn't afford to drink her problems away.

And yes, her apartment was a dump, with leaking ceilings and a plumbing system that threw a tantrum every time she used it and was frequently visited by roaches and mice that sometimes made her feel like Cinderella, but it was home.

Yet he was still in control of her life, in spite of everything that she had managed to accomplish.

It had been two years since he disappeared…more like ran away and skipped the country, when her mother accidentally stumbled on his little 'father-and-daughter time' collection, which included his stack of sick videotapes and his ever-idiotic journal…big surprise! She always thought him stupid for stashing evidence, where someone could find it.

Once the news got out, he fled, but not without giving his daughter one final threat, to a then fourteen-year-old version of herself.

"_I will come back." _

Those same words echoed off the corners of her memory every morning when she woke up, every night when she went to sleep, every time she did something right, every time she met someone new, every time she thought about her past, every time she thought about her future…every single minute of every single day.

Every boy she dated treated her exactly the way her father had, screw and then leave, then came back to screw again, sometimes even hitting her to get their frustrations out…but she didn't mind, because it didn't matter. Nobody was ever going to treat her any different or love her like love was shown in the movies. She was after all broken goods, and who wanted something that was broken?

She took a long sip of her orange juice, allowing her mind to wonder to better places. She imagined been held in the arms of a lover that she had dreamed of so many times, almost gasping when she imagined 'Him' been the one to do it.

The stranger from the previous night, his blood red eyes seeming to glow in the dimly lit alley way while supporting his weight against the wall, staring right at her, seemed more like a dark fantasy dream than a memory. She remembered there been something oddly wrong with him, something that didn't seem right, and yet in spite of it all, couldn't overcome the powerful sense of attraction that she felt towards him.

She found a light smile form onto her lips, as the darkness seemed to lift around her, for a fraction of a second, but then frowned. She didn't know why, but she couldn't remember much of what had happened after that, he seemed to have vanished into thin air and she…she couldn't remember.

She glanced up at the city's distant horizon, noticing how a faint glow began to light its edges. Dawn was approaching, which meant that the first half of her day as the ever friendly, jewelry shop assistant at Mr. Hardwick's Treasure Chest was about to begin. As she placed the used empty glass in the kitchen sink, familiar words yet once again whispered in her ears.

"_I will come back!"_

* * *

Yami glared at the glass that still held traces of blood.

Though he was in a foul mood for having to satisfy his blood cravings, he couldn't help but channel his thoughts back to the memory of the blue-eyed girl. He wondered about how much she had seen, a little unnerved by the prospect that she may have witnessed more than she should have. If that was the case, he was in for some serious trouble.

Dawn approached keenly from behind the city's limits, arriving as majestically as it always did. It was time for him to retire to his darkened room, leaving the realm of the living to the reality that it belonged in, a place where he didn't belong. He leapt from the rooftop onto his balcony flawlessly, briefly enjoying the light caress of the wind against his skin. The sky was beginning to turn into a light blue colour, the kind that reminded him of the girl's eyes…

* * *

**Peers out from barricaded metal box, wearing an army helmet… okay, now everyone just take a deep breath and calm down. Roars of aggravated screaming calls out and bad –vegetables- are thrown at me from all angles, until I am no longer clothes and flesh, but a dripping mass of rotten goods… hehehehe thanks for reading this again guys, I gotta go an get cleaned up and then start on the next chapter.**

**Get you're bad fruit ready…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! A big, big, BIG THANK YOU! For your reviews, I'm glad that you are liking the story so far, personally I feel that this story is an improvement from the last, but its not my opinion that matters it's yours, so feel free to give me your opinions. Now this chapter is completely different, with some borrowed parts from the original, but you won't even notice…well you shouldn't. Now onto the story… **

**Rating: Wow…rated M? In the M section…gee I don't know. **

**Disclaimer: Fi uoy kniht I nwo ho-ig-uY neht I leef yrros rof uoy **(_now read the words backwards_)

**AN: Yeah I had time to play…lol, now please enjoy!**

**Chapter four**

Tea tapped her fingers impatiently on the front counter's glassy surface while watching people stream pass without even so much as glancing at what was displayed in the shop's window. As usual, she had arrived earlier than expected, practically fleeing her apartment to be around people, even though there hadn't been many around at the time.

An hour had passed since the last customer had come in, and after having swept the entire floor and wiped the counters down at least three times, as well as having dusted the shelves…she was simply left with nothing to do, but wait for the next customer… sadly patience had never been one of her strongest qualities.

She sighed deeply as she watched the people outside happily going about with their everyday lives, briefly flashing smiles of greeting to each other, some stopping to exchange a few words with another, children dashing past enthusiastically with their mothers not far behind… all creating such a beautiful picture, that she sometimes wondered if it was real at all.

"Bollocks! Has my trusty right-hand girl's soul been sucked out of her body or is she just day dreaming?" Mr. Hardwick's ruff-edged voice thick with a British accent, cheerfully boomed, as he suddenly appeared right behind her.

She had to grin at the old man's choice of words, as they hardly ever made sense. "Soul sucked out of my body?" She mused, raising an eyebrow.

"Best thing I could come up with on such short notice," Mr. Hardwick grinned, cheerfully peering down at her over his spectacles with old hazel eyes. "By the way I have something to show you!" He said excitedly, dropping down to his knees and retrieving a small parcel carefully from one of the lower shelves.

"This just came in yesterday," He beamed, placing it gently on the counter, gaining Tea's full attention.

It was a simply designed casket, with a foreign label engraved in gold on its smooth black surface. In all there was nothing really spectacular about it, but Tea was interested nonetheless.

"What is it Mr. Hardwick?" she asked curiously, flicking her gaze from the small velvet box to the old man's warm and kind face.

Mr. Hardwick smiled and gently flipped off the lid, "See for yourself."

"Wow! What a beautiful diamond!" she exclaimed in surprise, gasping in awe as her eyes lay on the jewel before her. The ring itself was made of white gold with intricate designs engraved onto its outside surface, of what looked like tiny roses connected by vines, but what made it so eye-catching was the beautiful pink heart shaped diamond that glittered when the light touched it.

"Indeed, but that isn't just any diamond," Mr. Hardwick said softly, though he couldn't disguise the excitement in his voice.

She looked up at him with a clueless expression.

Though the diamond was incredibly beautiful, she couldn't see what was so fantastic about it that would make the jeweler so excited, especially when he had seen so many beautiful things in his life.

"This, my dear is a pink diamond," he said through an excited smile, maneuvering the small box around slightly so that she could see it better, "A very rare kind."

Tea's eyes widened as she turned her gaze once again onto the diamond ring.

"Out of the list of the largest diamonds in the world, only one out of sixty-six is a pink diamond, in fact they are so rare that most people will never see one in their life time, so feast your eyes on this rare occasion." Mr. Hardwick said fondly, while Tea just stared at it in shock.

"How much does this ring-"

"Far more than you could ever afford!" A very familiar and hateful, high pitched voice called from outside the store, and Tea had to bite her tongue, as she looked up to see the hateful haggish snob that she hadn't been able to stomach since she had first laid eyes on her.

Serena Markesan… Words could not describe how Tea felt about her. In fact there were no words that could express Serena at all with the effect that she so rightfully deserved. The closest thing that Tea could think of was a total bitch, but even that lacked meaning when in her presence.

Serena gracefully pushed open the store's doors and walked in with a smug expression on her face, staring Tea down with crystal blue eyes…that were definitely contacts. "Good afternoon Serena," Tea greeted through tight lips and forced herself to smile.

"Afternoon Miss Markesan, what can we do for you today," Mr. Hardwick said as cheerfully as always, which Tea knew he had to be, as Serena was his biggest customer…or in her case a size-zero customer. She loved jewelry second to loving herself, and bought just about everything she could get her expensively manicured hands on, and of course made sure Tea was always there to witness it.

"I was actually just eyeing that beautiful ring there," she said sweetly, flicking her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, while she smugly glared at Tea, her eyes blazing with amusement.

"Ah yes, indeed, it truly is a magnificent piece, definitely suitable for a fine young lady such as yourself," Mr. Hardwick agreed, nodding his head slowly, "though it is ultimately an engagement ring."

Serena laughed hysterically as though he had told her the funniest joke she had ever heard, sounding more like a high pitched squeal road-kill would make, than a human being. But then again…Tea always thought Selena was bitch…it was no wonder why she sounded like an African hyena.

"Well then that's perfect!" she exclaimed excitedly, her smile beaming, "Shane and I are going to be engaged soon and this ring is definitely suitable for the occasion, wouldn't you agree…Tea?" She smiled coldly at Tea, giving her the – '_Don't you wish you were me_?' kind of look.

Of course Tea did… Serena had been the most popular student at Domino High as well as the head cheerleader and the school's vice president. She had the hottest boys wrapped around her spoilt little finger, drove a Porsche and only wore expensive designer labeled clothes…not to mention that she had a summer house-slash-mansion on one of the Bermuda islands all to herself, and of course was completely rich. However, Selena had one little comfort that Tea never, and would never have…a good father.

"Oh! You and Shane are dating again?" Tea asked, with a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Oh yes, I'm surprised you haven't heard Tea, I mean just about 'everyone' that I hang out with knows," she replied smugly, "Oh but wait, I forget you don't know any of them."

Tea had to grind her teeth securely together, before she said something that she would later regret.

"Do you want me to keep the ring aside for him then Miss Markesan?" Mr. Hardwick quickly cut in, his cheerful tone wavering slightly to a hint of nervousness.

Selena turned at smiled up at him with a perfect picture of evil innocence. "That's alright Mr. Hardwick, I doubt anyone around this area but my Shane could afford it," she threw a smug glance at Tea, who refused to meet her gaze. "And in any case, I kind of like the idea of having the whole town see it, before it officially becomes mine."

"Very well then Miss Markesan," Mr. Hardwick said cheerfully, though Tea picked up on the strain in his voice.

Selena smiled in smug gratitude, before turning her gaze towards Tea. "Although I guess you could say that it's already mine…just like anything that I like."

* * *

_(Later during sunset)_

Tea closed the store's doors after a very long day. She had been in a negative mood ever since Selena's little 'visit,' and found herself shutting the doors a little more harshly than she usually did. "_Guess you could say that it's already mine, just like everything that I ly-iiiiiiii-ke_!" she mimicked angrily, shoving her keys one by one into the many locks that prevented the store from break-ins. "Frikin- Bitch…could make a…frikin…nun…swear!" she said in between angry breaths.

The street behind her was buzzing with many different sounds that seemed to block out her low cussing. However, most of it seemed to be coming from the small park across the road, where the rusty sound of chains rattled from the sounds of swings swinging, and laughter, particularly children's laughter.

In spite of the bitterness that Selena had brought up in her, tea couldn't help but smile and enjoy the sound of pure innocent joy that having fun brought, and enjoyed the atmosphere of it. She glanced up at the reflection of the playing children behind her, smiling fondly while she locked the last padlock.

A bright pink sparkle caught her attention, and she turned her head slightly to the side, once again coming face to face with the pink diamond engagement ring, which was truly the 'queen jewel' of the store…and 'belonged' to her worst enemy other than her _father_. She kept her gaze on the ring, vaguely listening to the sounds around her, until one simple child-like chant sent an ice-cold shiver up her spine.

"_I've got ya where I want ya, now I'm gonna eat ya_!"

The memory of her father's game came back to her with such a fierce force, that she couldn't fight against it. Her body weakened and felt numb against its rage, and she slowly sunk into its penetrating darkness.

_(Flashback)_

_Tea rushed through the house with a thudding heart, glancing wildly around her at potential hiding places. She could hear her father's rasping voice counting from one to thirty downstairs, and panicked as he began to quickly reach number twenty._

_Her eyes finally caught sight of a small dark space underneath the bed in the guest's bedroom. She made a dive for it, sliding underneath soundlessly as her father reached his last few numbers, willing her heart to quiet down as it thudded in her ears._

_Her father's rules were simple for this game of hide and seek. If he found her they would have to play the 'loving game' again, but if he didn't then she could decide on the game they played…only her father always found her. _

_The house grew deathly silent as he stopped counting, and Tea swore he was listening for her loud heartbeat. She strained her hearing to locate his whereabouts, but all was quiet…too quiet._

_Suddenly her body jolted as she heard him slowly ascending the stairs. "I've got you where I want youuuu," he said in a sing-song-voice, his footsteps thudding on the wooden stairs in time with his off-tune melody._

_Tea's body tensed in anticipation, she couldn't even breath in fear that he might hear her._

_She could only see his shiny black shoes from her hiding place, as they made there way to the doorway's entrance. He was so close to finding her that if she had have made even the smallest movement he would have heard her. She bit her lip in fear, praying that he would go and look for her somewhere else. "I've got you where I want you Teaaaaaa," he whispered, walking over to where the closet stood._

_She held her breath and closed her eyes…'please go away, please go away…" she silently begged in her mind. _

"_I've got you where I want you…and now…" his voice whispered dangerously closer, and she didn't dare to open her eyes. She held her breath, listening for any sounds of movement when she felt her ankle been yanked from under the bed as dragged her out of her place of safety._

"_I've got you…"_

_(End of flashback) _

Her breath caught in her throat as she whirled around to face the chanters, who were running giddily around the park, as they each other… and then she saw him. His tall figure, standing far across the park, glaring at her through hooded eyes, and although she couldn't see them, she knew that they were blazing an ice-cold glow.

Without a moment's of hesitation she turned around and fled blindly down the block, feeling his eyes on her. She swore she could hear footsteps running after her, and fearfully glanced back, imagining him coming at her at full speed with his black trench coat swishing around him like black chaos, yet she saw no one. She didn't look where she was heading until she ran into someone.

Her body suddenly went completely cold as two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, holding her upright as her legs numbly gave out from underneath her. She held her eyes closed, too afraid to see anything, while she breathed in shallow breaths, feeling as though her heart were about to flee her chest.

"You okay?" The stranger that held her asked sounding genuinely concerned, "take deep breaths."

She felt herself relax slightly at the sound of his deep attractive voice, though she was nowhere near calming down. However, she forced herself to take deeper breaths, filling her chest with much needed air, before coughing it out. Her arms instinctively clutched on to him for support as she struggled against the wave of dizziness and shock that overcame her body.

He stiffened slightly at her touch, but didn't let go of her. "That's it, deep breaths," he said with a strained voice, "You're okay, you're safe-" He stopped abruptly in mid sentence, but she didn't take any notice. Her mind was filled with a pitch-black darkness that made it impossible for her to think. All she knew was that she had to hold onto him, as though some unknown force whispered it to her.

* * *

Yami at first didn't know how to respond to the girl that had literally run right into him, almost knocking him down. He had instinctively wrapped his arms around her so that she didn't fall, but hadn't anticipated what it would feel like. It had been a long time since he had held a girl this close to him.

He could tell that she was petrified, but when he glanced around him looking for any sign of oncoming dangers, he saw nothing. Yet nothing disturbed him more than when he tried to read her mind. It was almost completely blank…could she have really been that scared?

He found himself mumbling that she had to breathe, and watched her carefully for any sign of improvement. He almost smiled when her first thoughts revealed that she found his voice attractive, but almost gasped when he felt her grip on to him. It wasn't that he was frightened of her; it was just that he hadn't expected it. He began to mumble something else, when realization began to dawn on him.

The girl…he recognized her. More precisely, he recognized her scent. His night vision wasn't as particular as a vampire's, so at first glance he could have easily mistaken her for the same girl he had seen the alley, but her scent…her scent was definite.

She churned in his arms, gaining more control over her body as her mild panic attack began to subside. Her thoughts began to clear up and she was finally able to push herself away from him, though she didn't want to be released from his hold either.

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of dazzling azure orbs that he recognized immediately.

He braced himself for the events that were about to follow. He shuddered to think of what he would have to do if she had witnessed the forbidden truth, even though caring for her seemed illogical. How could he care about someone he had never met? It was crazy to even think it…wasn't it?

It was the moment of truth as her gaze met his…

* * *

**Weeeel? What do you guys think? Do I get the bad fruit or are you saving it for the next chapter? hehehe see you guys next time, and once again thank you for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Guys sorry for taking so long! Don't worry I've already been punished for my lengthy absence, (rolls eyes) but anyway, I really hope you guys find this chapter worthwhile…It's not as exciting as I would have liked it to have been, but every story has its boring parts right? Okay, so let me not keep you any longer and thank you for the reviews, you guys are awesome!**

**Rating: Rated M (not a good choice for children)**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Yu-Gi-Oh! But we don't all get what we want…**

**AN: Dedicated to the awesome reviewers that make writing this worthwhile!...Oh and my Sis of course...hehehe got ya sucker!**

**Chapter Five**

Yami almost held his breath in anticipation, listening closely to her thoughts that were a little jumbled and confused. At first she didn't quite know if she recognized him or not, but through the haziness of her troubled mind, she was able to put two and two together, which was far quicker than he had expected her too.

The first thing she recognized was his eyes, describing them as dying suns that had been filled with pain when she had first seen them, and then recognized his face, though she remembered it to be paler than it was now, and decided that she liked its healthy glow.

However, her overactive mind began to take in new characteristic features that she hadn't previously noticed, such as how tall he was, and how his deep voice fit him so well. She also noticed how muscular he was, and was fascinated by how his abs showed noticeably through his tank top.

Yami strained to keep himself from smiling nervously, as he criminally invaded her thoughts.

She began to think back to when she had first seen him, remembering how he had seemed to be in a great deal of pain, though she couldn't tell what had happened to him.

She assumed that he had been involved in a fight, after noticing many unconscious bodies badly battered along the road up ahead, but by the way he was trembling she thought that drugs could have been another possibility.

In all, she had seen nothing that was of any concern, and was in fact more worried about him, than suspicious.

"Are you alright?" he asked after a while, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his intense observation.

Her thoughts seemed to snap back into reality and she quickly pulled herself together.

"Oh! Yes, thank you, I'm so sorry about…about…" she stuttered, jumping to her feet and pushing herself away from him. Her eyes began to dart about her, almost as though she expected something to jump out at them at any second. Yami curiously listened to what she was thinking, only picking up on how scared she was of whoever was coming after her.

He did a quick surveillance check, trying to locate any posing threats surrounding them, but found nothing.

"…About running into you," she ended breathlessly, trying to calm herself down with the same advice he had given her earlier, taking deeper breaths instead of shallow ones. "I should have been looking at where I was going." She met his eyes shyly then quickly looked away as a light blush burnt along her cheeks.

"No damage done," he answered quickly, mentally slapping himself at his choice of words, especially when she had previously thought him to have been injured the night before. "Do you need to see a doctor or be taken somewhere?" He didn't know why he asked, perhaps out of politeness. Even though he was raised in an environment with bloodthirsty creatures of the living dead, he was taught to be a gentleman.

She shook her head quickly, her entire face almost burning to the shade of his eyes, "It's okay, really, you've done enough, way more than I deserved," she said, though he could tell even without reading her thoughts that she didn't want him to leave.

"Thanks, for everything," she said softly, her eyes finally resting on his.

He nodded his head once, before glancing up at the darkening sky. "I uh- should be going now, take care," he said quickly taking a step away from her.

"Oh yeah of course and again I'm sorry for running into you and thanks for helping me, I owe you one," she babbled, nervously raking a strand of rebellious chocolate brown hair out of her eyes, which he couldn't help but find incredibly cute.

He nodded his goodbye and continued forward with casual easy paces, but couldn't help taking a small glance back at her, making sure she was still okay. Something about the way she stood drew him to her, though he didn't know why. With her eyes staring at the ground with slumped shoulders, and her hands clenched into fists, she looked so helplessly lost.

He forced himself to look away, breathing in a frustrated breath as he marched forward. He couldn't allow himself to get involved with a human, especially not her.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He had drifted around the block aimlessly; his thoughts centered on the blue-eyed beauty that haunted his thoughts…not that he really minded.

There was no denying that she was incredibly beautiful - that he admitted defeat to, almost instantly. He found her eyes to be her most striking feature, reminding him of polished sapphires, only more beautiful, and her skin had looked so soft and touchable. It wasn't long before he began to sinfully fantasize about what it would have been like to hold her light and helpless form closer to his body and feel her soft plush lips against his…

What the hell was he thinking?

He couldn't think about her like that, hell he couldn't think about any human like that. He could have mentally kicked himself for having done so, and grudgingly continued down a road in which he vaguely recognized. Hadn't he seen that mailbox before? He was sure he had seen a similar looking yellow building about ten minutes ago, and why did that parked white van look so similar to the one he had seen soon after he had helped the blue-eyed girl…weird.

With his eyes one the ground, he continued to follow an invisible trail, passing oddly familiar surroundings, not knowing and not caring where it led.

He heard loud music blaring from somewhere up ahead of him, which fit the kind of dodgy surroundings he kept seeing. He only half listened to it, not very fond of the westernized pop culture that made his sensitive hearing practically bleed.

He reached what he assumed to be a parking lot, made up of cars parked on the sidewalks and jammed next to each other in almost impossible positions. He picked up sounds of heavy breathing and moans, and without thinking turned his gaze over to where they were coming from, accidentally witnessing a naked couple making out in a busted up yellow car of sorts, which had to have been the most rusted car he had ever seen.

He quickly diverted his attention elsewhere, shuddering at the mental image of pair, which just wouldn't fade away. It was then that he caught her scent, surprised by how he hadn't noticed it before.

He glanced around looking for her, wondering why in Ra's name she would even look in this direction, never mind actually traveling through it. He had to eventually follow his nose, trailing passed more beaten up cars that were definitely on their last wheels, finding her scent rather easily despite there been so many.

As he reached the nightclub, he was taken aback by its raw shadiness that practically advertised criminal activity…yet had a certain charm to it that he couldn't help but like.

The windows illuminated a bright red light that silhouetted the forms of the dancing people inside. The walls were decorated with graffiti and stripper flyers (hmmmm), and broken bottles lay smashed against its edges. There were groups of gang-like men and woman, some that looked younger than fifteen, sprawled out along the ground and next to the stairs, smoking something with a sweet scent and drank from one bottle that was passed around amongst them, their eyes seeming blank and unintelligent.

He hated to think that a girl as beautiful as the one that he had briefly met would hang around in such an…_environment._

He made his way up the stairs, not sparing a second glance at the pile of air-stealers that sat uselessly below him, completely out of it, hesitating momentarily, before shoving the double doors open, confronted by a sight that he found to be rather typical of such a place.

Drunken dancers, falling over each other and staggering around, overran the dance floor, while a fistfight took place on his left and two topless girls danced suggestively to his right. The music blared too loudly within the confined space, so much that the little building felt as though it were vibrating, and while he winced in pain he wondered just what the hell he was doing there.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Tina! Table six in the VIP section needs assistance, move it!" James barked, slamming the small kitchen's door closed behind him, as he made a hasty retreat to his office. He had been in an irritable mood all evening, one of the many side effects of drug abuse that he was only just beginning to discover.

Tea clenched her teeth tightly together in frustration. She had already finished her shift twenty minutes before, but James refused to let her leave. She dropped the glass she was washing up, back into the sink and quickly grabbed for a flannel to dry her hands. She hated the VIP section with an undying passion. It was filled with arrogant and perverted, semi rich human trash that thought the world of themselves even though there was nothing to admire about them.

She walked out of the kitchen with hooded eyes, passing fellow waitresses as she made her way through what she called 'the sardine run.'

"Yo' boys look who-s it is," the head of the table and most noticeably the group's leader, called out. She had to force herself not to roll her eyes and wore her best poker face she could muster.

"What can I get you boys?" she asked blankly, grinding her teeth together as he looked her up and down, almost seeming to see through her clothes.

He glanced around at his small cluster, with a look of amusement before he answered. "We'd like ya all nigh-t long 'aby!" The table erupted into laughter, annoying the hell out of her. She had to clench her jaw even tighter, taking a deep breath as she did her utmost best to remain unfazed by their idiocy. By the time she had counted to ten, she was convinced that they had completely forgotten that she was there.

While she waited impatiently for them to sober up slightly, she let her eyes wonder around the club, picking out individuals that seemed to young to be in such a place. She only recognized one face that really didn't belong, fourteen-year-old Ally Jones, a definite rebel in disguise, but Tea knew better than to be surprised. It wasn't uncommon in this part of town to come across kids in clubs.

Her eyes continued to scan the floor, before they settled on one particular face. It couldn't be…it was!

She couldn't contain her excitement and had to get closer to him, after all it would be rude not to say hi right…right? She side glanced at the table, which still rippled with laughter, and decided that it would be easier to sneak off without them even realizing it.

She made her way through the crowds, keeping her eyes on him as he made his way to the bar, yet grimaced when she noticed who was bartending that evening… Of course it had to be the prettiest man-eater alive, known as the one and only Mai Valentine.

It was a painful sight to watch how she gracefully moved around from side to side, serving drinks with the speed of lightning and still managing to look ultra sexy doing it.

Yet as Mai was about to mix another drink for an eye-hungry customer, she noticed him walking towards her, and faltered in her sluttish performance as though time around her had stopped.

Her eyes widened in a predators gaze, taking too much of an interest in him for Tea's liking.

She couldn't see anything but the back of his head as he took a seat by the counter, but knew that he was saying something just by watching Mai's flirtatious expressions working in overdrive.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yami had noticed how the violet-eyed blonde looked at him, but didn't spare a second thought about her, other than the small fact that her clothes looked too tight on her. He ordered a simple drink, allowing her to decide on which one, not caring what she chose. He didn't know why he was there, and hated that he couldn't bring himself to leave, without seeing her…maybe he should have ordered a stronger drink.

He had never been much of a drinker…well alcohol wise that is, and especially took a disliking to it after his first experience, when he and Yugi had drunk themselves to a point in which they no longer remembered their names, and he had ended up in bed with the worst mistake of his life…which was bad enough without the killer hangover that he later endured.

When his drink came, he had to look at it twice before taking a sip, grinning slightly at the irony. _A Bloody Mary_…she really was a good bartender. It was only when he downed it in one gulp that he sensed her presence, and found himself oddly relieved by it.

"Wow, we just keep bumping into each other don't we?" she said nervously from behind him. He caught the blonde girl glaring at her, though her flirtatious smile didn't leave her lips.

"Yes we do," he agreed through a small smile, turning slightly in his seat so that he could face her, and was glad to see that the colour had returned to her cheeks, though she seemed to be blushing. "Feeling any better?"

She nodded her head and smiled, "Yeah plenty, thanks again for…for what you did earlier."

"Why? Were you sick Tea?" Mai asked, while she wiped down one of the empty glasses, her eyes still flaming in jealously.

Yami, side glanced at the violet-eyed girl, catching small tidbits of her thoughts that were swimming violently inside her head, most of them hostile towards Tea.

"Something like that," she answered, though she was unable to meet Mai's gaze, which Yami honestly couldn't blame her for.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Kasumi responded with fake sincerity, "Maybe you shouldn't have come in tonight."

Work? So that was why she was here.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Tea said through a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head, which humans so often did when they found the situation they were in awkward, "I am still standing right?"

"Which reminds me, as I seem to have forgotten my manners, would you like a drink?" he said smoothly, aware of the sudden negativity that came off Mai.

Tea nodded and took a seat next to him, with a shy smile curled onto her lips.

Mai took her eyes off Tea for a moment and stared at Yami with fluttery eyes and a flirtatious smile. "Guess you just had the healing charm then didn't you? Maybe sometime you'll give me a private demonstration of your other _charms_," she said with a small wink, before walking down to the other end of the bar, leaving him with a shuddering mental implication of a _dark alley activity_.

Been somewhat glad that she had left, he didn't even spare her another glance and once again turned to face Tea, glad that they were alone.

"Interesting friend of yours," he commented.

She shrugged awkwardly, "We aren't friends…" She mumbled, her thoughts racing on exactly what to say next to him. He smirked through another sip of his second drink.

"Glad to know, because she seems like a total bitch," he mentally slapped himself for cussing in front of a woman, shocked that he was such a weak drinker.

Yet it was not that, that had surprised Tea, it was the mere fact that he had seen through the Mai-girl's act. Her eyes had widened into azure saucers, and he could tell that she didn't know what to say.

"By the way, my name's Atem, but call Yami, everyone else does," he said through a warm and inviting smile.

"Oh, my name's Tea, it's nice to meet you Yami," she said sweetly, her heart doing small little leaps in its rhythm.

"It's nice to meet you too Tea." He mentally tortured himself for staying another minute beside her. He knew this was dangerous, not just for him, but for her too, yet as he heard her voice, which he decided he actually liked listening to, and watched in fascination how she nervously fidgeted with her shoulder length chocolate locks…he couldn't bring himself to do anything but stay.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

In that evening he had learnt a great deal about her. She was a ballet dancer, accepted into the finest ballet school in the area, working two jobs a day to pay for the tuition. This surprised him a great deal, as he knew that it must have been hard on her physically and mentally, yet she didn't complain.

He had also learnt more about his physical appearance than he had in his entire lifetime, as she was amazingly observant, and in all the time they spoke to each other, she would take notice of something new or something old about him that she liked…which stirred odd emotions in him.

He knew he was falling into a dangerous trap…but the more he got to know her, the harder it was to resist.

He found himself walking her home in a strangely comfortable silence…well verbal silence. He heard her thoughts flutter from one train of thought to the next, mostly about him, but wished his power was strong enough to dig further.

She lifted her starry gaze to a glittery sky, a small smile curling onto her lips. "It's so pretty."

Yami looked up at the sky, unable to see the same beauty that she was referring to. "I guess," he replied dryly, deciding to keep it to himself that he couldn't really stand the sight of stars.

Tea shivered as a cold chill swept passed them, and Yami automatically unzipped his leather jacket and placed it on her shoulders. While he did so he caught sight of a flyer attached to the wall, feeling an icy chill crawl up his spine.

"Oh thanks that's so kind of y-" She stopped in mid sentence as she noticed his shocked expression, and hesitantly turned to follow his gaze.

The flyer one the wall was a report of a brutal murder that took place in Domino City just the day before, but before she could read any further Yami began to gently guide her away, his posture tensed and strained as though he had received the shock of his life.

"Are you okay?" she asked alarmed.

"Yeah, just worried about the gang killings. We better get you home," he said in a strained voice.

She thought about asking him more, but decided against it as she soon processed how close she was to him, much to his relief…

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He was as surprised as he was glad that Tea lived just about a block away from him, making his journey home a relatively quick one. His night had played out rather perfectly, until he came across the damn flyer that changed everything.

A brutal killing of an entire gang in West Street, fifteen victims found dead…the same guys that he had fought the night before…each with their throats ripped out.

He tried to remember what had happened during and after the attack, coming up with blank answers. Perhaps another gang of sorts with a grudge did it…but Yami didn't believe that. He wondered if his vampiric nature had somehow overpowered him that night, drawn to the blood with a vengeful force that somehow turned off all his senses completely and took over…the possibility existed.

He almost crumbled down in defeat, when he reached his front door.

No…it couldn't have been him, he remembered seeing Tea, and he remembered getting home before sunrise, and been in incredible pain when he did.

Yet his relief was only temporary as another worrying thought took its place. Who had killed the gang?

He unlocked the door to his apartment and was greeted by the first of his many furry lodgers, who meowed a greeting before disappearing down the hallway that led deeper into the darkness, probably straight to the kitchen.

He rubbed his forehead as though he had fallen victim to a killer migraine, trying to decide what to do about the situation, when he stopped dead in his tracks.

The scents that polluted his small living room hit him like a tidal wave, and he almost didn't turn to face their sources, or at least one particular source that had stopped his heart in mid-beat.

A light flicked on from beside the small living room chair, revealing a horrific sight.

He opened his mouth, trying to force himself to whisper the words, but struggled against the tide of repulsion, fear and overall dread that washed over him.

"Y-Yugi!"

He smiled coldly, his red eyes so much brighter than Yami's and a trail of fresh blood still staining the corner of his mouth.

"_Hello Brother_…"

* * *

**OOOOOOO...the drama! hehehe okay you can throw the bad fruit at me this time, in fact I fruit myself! lol see you guys nect chappie! bye bye.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Awww thanks Star and Peaches! Your kind words made me want to do something extra special for this story…Wink! Wink! I may have included a little something-something that you might enjoy, hope you do. Well here's chapter six! Please enjoy, I personally (and I'm not saying that it'll be the same for everyone) but I enjoyed this chapter the most…but please note that it just my personal opinion. I'll shut up now.**

**Rating: M…please note sensitive readers, the second section in italics is probably not for you.**

**Disclaimer: Nope! I own a few Yu-gi-oh DVD's and some of the action figures, but not the show.**

**AN: Do enjoy! And thanks for reading! Oh yeah and Sis – go and do your homework!**

**Chapter Six **

"_I refuse!" Yami roared angrily, glaring at his father directly in the eye._

"_My son…you are an immortal, like us. Why do you insist on staying in such a weak form?"_

_Yami's fierce growls echoed off the thick walls of the large, underground tomb. Some of the human slaves gasped and cowered into the shadows, startled by his uncontrollable rage that was as surprising to them as it was to him._

"_Brother, why give him the choice? Why not just simply turn him right now? We don't need his consent," Aknadin suggested, ignoring Yami's hisses of protest. _

"_That's not your decision to make!" Yami spat angrily, revealing a completely different side of himself that neither his uncle nor father had ever seen. _

"_We have already witnessed Seto's incredible capabilities, which have sent our enemy clans running in fear. Just imagine what we can gain with his transformation!" Aknadin exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms in the air. _

"_And I said-"_

"_That's enough Atem!" his father bellowed, almost making the walls quiver in fear. He glared at Yami for a short moment with fierce black eyes, before returning his gaze to his younger brother, Aknadin. "I understand this Brother, but I first want to understand why my son – my own flesh and blood, and heir to the throne…" he turned his sharp cold eyes onto Yami, "…refuses his heritage. Speak now Atem!"_

_With his hands clenched into tight balls at his sides, Yami glared up at his father. He knew better than to tell his father the truth. He couldn't tell his father that he didn't want to become a monster and that he'd rather die, because in this world, they took things literally. He knew his father wouldn't spare a second's worth of thought about killing him if necessary…and even though he couldn't bare the thought of becoming a vampire, he still didn't want to die just yet._

_It was then that he had a brilliant idea, one that would not only help him but also open room for his unusually quiet brother, to make up some excuse on why he couldn't change either. After all Yugi had always been a better liar than him._

"_It has nothing to do with refusing your…gift…father, but everything to do with the fact that you wish me to be trapped in a body of a sixteen-year-old for all eternity!" He said through clenched teeth, hoping that by doing so, his lie would go undetected._

_It seemed to have worked as both his father and uncle's eyebrows lifted in shock, seeming unable to speak for several long seconds, before his father decided to speak. "Is that all Atem? You just want to age a few years before you turn?"_

_Yami nodded stiffly, still showing signs of his newly evoked aggression. He had hoped that Yugi would back him up with one of his quick quips that always left his father and uncle red faced and breathing flames, but he remained still and silent, which was very unlike him. Yet Yami didn't have long to think about it when his father began to address him once again._

"_If that is what you wish, then so be it. I'll give you until the age of about nineteen, as old as your cousin Seto's body, and then you'll officially be a child of the night." His father smiled darkly, as the atmosphere surrounding them turned cold and thick by the meaning of his words, and Yami knew by hearing the thoughts of the servants, that he wasn't imagining it. _

_His father suddenly turned his gaze onto Yugi, who remained still and unshaken at Yami's side. "I assume you wish to be turned on the same day as your brother?" _

_Yami glanced over at his brother, feeling dread course through his body as he took in the sight of a stranger, rather than his twin brother. He lifted his eyes, which held no emotion or any sign of life at all, which frightened Yami. Something was seriously wrong…if only he could have read Yugi's mind!_

_He turned slightly to look over Yami's shoulder with an alien emotion, taking place within his crimson orbs. _

_Yami hesitantly glanced in the same direction, noticing the vampire girl Dendera leaning against one of the pillars with a look of encouragement evident on her beautiful smug face…a sight that sickened him._

_Yami hated Dendera for all she was worth…which was about the same worth that crocodile crap had. She was a total bitch, with a sly calculating mind, which was as dangerous as handling an Egyptian Cobra. Not to mention one of the vainest vampires he had ever known, although even he had to admit, she was beautiful. _

_Her golden feline eyes sparkled like topaz gemstones as gazed at Yugi, keeping her thoughts well hidden from Yami's intrusion. Her waist length black hair fell like a waterfall over her hourglass shaped body, as her ruby red lips curled into a small smile that was neither friendly nor mean, just plain and without a purpose…kind of like how he described her._

_He wondered what she was up to, and why Yugi had been looking at her like that…and just wished for once that Yugi didn't have the ability to block his thoughts from him._

_Yugi glanced up at their father, with a smug glint forming in his eyes, as life seemed to return to him. Yami expected him to make use of his colorful sarcastic language, and knew from reading his father's thoughts, that he was expecting it too…but Yugi shocked them all with eight little words that changed everything._

_Through a cocky smile, he said in a very clear voice, "No father, I want to be turned now…"_

-X-X-X-X-

Yami didn't have the words to describe the revolting sight that lay before him, as his twin brother sat in a seemingly lazy posture, with arms folded behind his head and a cold sadistic smirk curled onto his lips, wearing a black sleeveless top that was drenched in blood. Yet it was the sight of the lifeless, chalky-skinned bodies of two beautiful young women that caught his attention the most. Particularly the vampiric bite marks that covered their bodies…

Before he could get a clear thought into the situation, the sudden embrace of two delicately weak arms that wrapped themselves around his shoulders surprised him, and without thinking he spun around harshly, almost sending the girl behind him flying across the room. It was the first time he had noticed the third girl, who was barely alive herself, swaying slightly from side to side as though she were about to pass out at any second. She was extremely pale, with long white blonde hair that reached the small of her back, and glassy pale blue eyes, dressed in nothing but a pair of red lacy underwear and a flirtatious smirk, inviting him to do more than just stare at her…

"Yugi what the hell have you done!" Yami growled angrily, practically leaping away from the barely dressed girl, his hands itching to wrap themselves around his brother's neck.

"I got bored waiting for you so I decided to have a little fun," he said through a smug smile, his eyes wondering hungrily over the pair of dead girls before him. "Of course I left you one too, been the good brother that I am."

As if on cue the girl automatically went up to Yami, seductively running her hands along his chest down to his lower regions, pressing herself dangerously close to him. She didn't look afraid of him, and seemed to be doing this of her own free will in spite of the gruesome murder she had witnessed not long before…which could only have meant one thing.

Before she reached his crotch, he caught her wrists, stopping her instantly. "You're mind controlling her!" he spat angrily, shoving her away from him as gently as he could.

"Don't be so surprised brother…I _like_ to play with my food," he smirked, glancing at her for a moment before returning his gaze back to Yami. "Now come on, I'm been very generous at the moment, I've left the best one just for you, a virgin beauty! Whose name I believe is Mia," he gave her a questioning look that was also tinted with amusement, "It is Mia right?"

"Whatever you want it to be _Master_," she said in a blank voice that lacked life and emotion.

Yugi grinned in amusement before continuing, "You see Yami, and she's all yours for the taking…you'll find her blood is a lot more appetizing than the bagged shit you've stacked in the freezer."

Yami acted quickly, before Yugi had even had the chance to blink, throwing an iron hard punch in the direction of his jaw, and with a sickening crunch sent him flying across the room and landing hard against the wall.

"Oww! Fuck Yami, you almost broke a bone!" Yugi complained irritably, though there was an evident tinge of smugness in his voice, as he rose unharmed from the floor, smoothing out his jaw. "You needn't be upset about blood on the carpets, I was careful to make sure that I drained every drop…"

Suddenly Yami saw red and charged at him like an enraged bull, smashing his somewhat shorter and younger appearing brother up against the wall, causing it to crack. He intended to crush Yugi's throat, knowing that although it wouldn't kill him, it would definitely hurt, but Yugi was quicker and grabbed his wrist before it could do any damage and with careless ease crushed it.

"Ahhhh…shit!" Yami howled, instantly letting go of Yugi, quickly remembering what his brother had become and all the added extras that came with that change.

"Vampire, Yami…don't ever forget that again," Yugi said smugly, shoving Yami to the ground with less effort than it would have taken him to throw down a shirt. "Mia darling come over here."

_Mia _instantly dashed over to his side, falling into his arms as the last of her energy evaporated from her body. He held her in a lover's embrace, seeming so strong and protective over her, which gave way to the dream of the ideal vampire lover that human girls fantasized about and desired. He gave her such a soft, caring smile that almost fooled Yami into believing that there was still a small part of his brother within the monster that he had become.

"Mia darling, my brother has no intention of taking your virtue tonight," he crooned, gently pulling her closer to him.

He gently traced her lips with his forefinger as she pouted. He took a deep breath and sighed, seeming genuinely unhappy, as he brushed away one of her light yellow bangs away from her eyes. "And that means…I no longer have use for you." Without a second's hesitation he snapped her neck and let her body fall to the ground with giving it a second glance, ignoring Yami's startled growl of disgust, shock and protest.

"Yugi what the fuck did you do that for!" Yami growled leaping onto his feet, ignoring the sharp stabbing pain in his crushed wrist.

"I did what was natural to me brother…what _you_ should have done with me…and finished what _you_ should have started," Yugi mumbled, as he took a seat in the same armchair that Yami had found him in.

"Is that why you're here, to pile up bodies on my living room floor? Where's Kaiba and Aknadin, I bet they're getting a real kick out of this!" he growled angrily, glancing around him wildly, expecting the twisted faces of his uncle and cousin to appear at any given second.

Yugi shook his head slowly from side to side as though he were dealing with a difficult child. "Relax, I came alone. The others are still looking for you half way across the world and definitely won't be finding you any time soon."

Yami looked at him suspiciously, it wouldn't be the first time his brother deceived him. "How is it that you were able to find me then?" he growled through clenched teeth, as the bitterness of the reality that he could no longer trust Yugi sunk in.

For a split second, Yami could have sworn he had seen uncertainty flash through his brother's eyes, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure. "I know you too well brother, we are after all twins." There was something different about the way he spoke, something that was off, though Yami couldn't exactly put his finger on what, but he knew one thing…Yugi was hiding something.

"So what now? You going to drag me back to Egypt by yourself? Or like a coward call daddy and tell him where I am?" Yami growled bitterly, knowing that Yugi was quite capable of both, which angered him. He thought about how nice it had been to hold Tea close to him, and listen to her voice while she mumble on about all the complications that humans endured, and how human it had made him feel…yet it was all about to end, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Oh please, I have absolutely no desire to return to that Ra-forsaken litter-box or our uptight _daddy_ that has his royal garments up his ass," Yugi mumbled, placing his arms causally behind his head while faking a yawn, "Domino City is just way too much fun."

Yami stared at him suspiciously for a moment, before he pressed onward. "Then why are you here?"

Yugi smiled in amusement, "I just wanted to see my big brother again, it's been way too long!"

Yami snorted in disbelief, glaring at his shorter brother with his fiery eyes. "Bullshit! Why are you here?"

Yugi mocked an almost convincing pout, though he held an evident tinge of dark humor in his ruby eyes that gave him away. "You doubt that I want to spend time with you…Big brother? I'm hurt."

Yami ground his teeth together in anger. "Don't you dare refer to me as your brother, my brother died three years ago…and no Yugi I don't doubt - I know, and even if you did come here for that reason, I sure as hell don't want to see you, so get out of here!" Yami growled harshly, somewhat relieved that his bones were growing back together, relieving him of some of the pain.

Yugi grinned, his chest rippling in silent laughter. "Oh Yami, are you still sore about me becoming a vampire and sleeping with your girl? Come on bro, that was three years ago!"

Yami growled in disgust. "Dendera was never my girl!" he spat defensively. "As I can recall, nearly every vampire in that tomb had their fair share of her _affection…_ including you."

For the first time that night Yugi looked irritated.

Yami remembered that dreadful moment as though it had only happened a brief hour before, churning an old pain in his stomach that never went away, even after all these years.

_(flash back)_

_Their father had just ruled that Yugi be turned during that same evening, and almost at once the room had emptied, as the vampires filed out in an orderly fashion that was almost too quick to see. Yugi had somehow vanished with them, leaving Yami standing alone as his body went into shock. Had that really happened? He wondered, staring after the blur of retreating vampires._

_Without realizing it, he too began to leave, not as fast, but rather slow and deadpan. He had no idea where he was going until he found himself standing in front of the royal chamber that he shared with his brother. He leaned forward to shove the doors open, when every instinct told him to stop._

_What happened next was all a blur to him, but he found his eyes close against his will, almost as though someone had taken over his body as an image of what was happening behind his bedroom door burst through his brain like a surge of electric power._

_Yugi was lying on his back, wearing only a pair of jeans as Dendera gently traced a finger down his bare chest, admiring his muscles hungrily, with large gold eyes. His eyes were no longer crimson or nearly as innocent as they used to be, but instead black with lust and what looked like anger._

_Dendera drew her hand down over his crotch, gently squeezing the bulge that had formed there. Yugi's eyes closed as he drew in a deep breath, arching his back off the bed slightly. Yami wanted to look away, but the image wouldn't fade from his head. He watched helplessly as the scene carried on before him, as though he were an invisible witness. _

_Then something strange began to happen. Yugi's fangs slid out slightly from the corners of his mouth as he clenched his teeth together to prevent a moan from escaping him, and then as though a new person had taken over his body, he began to take control._

_His eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of glaring orbs that weren't Yugi's eyes, but those of a stranger's. He lifted himself upward before wrapping an arm around Dendera's waist and pulling her under him, taking her completely by surprise. He hungrily started to plant kisses along her neckline, his fangs gently brushing against her skin as his groin achingly rubbed against her thigh._

_Not used to been dominated, Dendera tried to push him off her, but Yugi gripped both of her wrists and held them over her head, as he ran a hand up her side, groping her breasts violently. _

_Eventually he ripped off her dress, sending the fabric flying across the room, before suckling on her skin. He gasped as a shudder rippled through his body, and broke away from her, panting heavily. "I can't hold back any longer," he whispered huskily, reaching to undo his pants._

"_But Prince Yugi, we haven't even played yet," Dendera purred, trying to rise from her position, but Yugi held her down. _

"_I don't care," he whispered, tossing his pants off to the side. _

_She tried to say something else, but he silenced her with his lips, thrusting himself into her without hesitation. She gulped in surprise before moaning his name loudly, gripping the sheets as he thrust himself in and out with natural ease. Yugi gasped his moans, which became louder as he moved in and out faster. Soon the bed rocked in their vigorous movements, and their moans became screams of sheer desire and pleasure…but lacked the passion._

_Then it happened…_

_As Dendera reached her mind blowing orgasm, her sharp needle like fangs slid out from their hiding places. In spite of been very turned on by what he had seen, Yami had wanted to warn Yugi of her fangs, but his body was as frozen as an ice sculpture. She sank her teeth into his neck as her body jerked with the explosion of electric pleasure that coursed through her body, causing Yugi to climax soon after._

_He flinched at the sudden painful contact of her fangs, but suddenly moaned at the pleasure it gave him, tightening his grip around her waist. Yami stared in horror as he watched what was taking place before his very eyes. Yugi gently bit into her neck with his own fangs, and drank her blood, hungrily gulping it down without hesitation._

'_No Yugi don't!' Yami wanted to scream, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He watched as Dendera smiled in enjoyment, claiming Yugi as hers. It then that Yami saw the blackness surround his brother, as evil sunk into his heart…and killed him._

(_Flashback ends)_

Yami shook his head sadly. Yugi hadn't even realized that he had been telepathically sending his experience to him, until Yami burst through the door, with a look of pure hatred and hurt evident on his face and in his eyes. He wanted to kill Dendera, and would have, if Yugi hadn't thrown him across the room and knocked him out cold for several hours.

"Not much has changed Yami," Yugi said suddenly regaining his cocky attitude.

Yami let out a bitter laugh. "Nothing's changed? You're a killer Yugi; you just killed three girls for fun! You're not doing this for survival; you're doing this because you get a kick out of it. You're not as bad as the others you're worse!"

Yugi seemed a little taken aback by Yami's outburst, but didn't interrupt.

"You killed the gang in the alley didn't you? There were fifteen of them! You only needed one for survival!" He growled, his eyes burning in fury, "So why the hell did you have to kill all of them!"

Yugi seemed to concentrate for a moment, before a sly smile spread across his seemingly young face. "Would it piss you off more if I said that I did it because I found it fun?" His eyes took on an innocent glow, as though he were, a questioning child, asking where babies came from.

Yami clenched his fists into tight balls that made crunching sounds that even made Yugi flinch.

"Get out!" he growled lowly.

Yugi raised his eyebrows. "But we haven't even finished catching up!" His face suddenly wore a mask of innocence that had reminded Yami so much of the old him and in turn made his heart ache in longing for what could never be again.

"I don't give a fu-"

"Like that beautiful young brunette with the pretty blue eyes that you've been hanging around with lately." Yugi's words fell on him like a bucket of ice, making him halt in his tracks.

"It must be so damn hard for you bro-I mean Yami. I mean knowing the things you do, aware of the risks and consequences you'll need to face and yet…be so damn tempted! Not that I blame you, she's a real beauty, with such a hot body so perfectly sculpted…damn, just thinking about it gives me a hard on," he said smugly, earning a dark glare from Yami, which made him think twice about ever mentioning her in such a way again.

"Don't ever talk about her like that!" Yami growled.

Yugi raised an eyebrow, "Is she yours?"

Yami hesitated in his answer, taking a second to process what he had been asked. "No she means…little…to me."

"So then you won't mind if I have a go at her?" Yugi asked innocently, though Yami knew he was stirring for trouble…

'Such a pain in the ass'

Yami growled fiercely and very possessively, his muscles tightened in preparation to stop Yugi at all costs if necessary, if he even dared to go near Tea. "You wouldn't dare!" He threatened.

Yugi shrugged casually, completely unfazed by his brother's anger. "Yami, Yami, Yami…in love with a human girl. Hmmm…how fun."

Yami was alarmed, what had Yugi meant by that. "Yugi-" he began, but was cut off sharply.

"You don't need to worry big brother, I have no desire to kill her…quite the opposite really."

Yami's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you'll understand soon enough, but in the mean time I must leave, dawn approaches soon and I wouldn't dare be caught in the sight of Ra's eye." Yugi said rather cheerfully, flipping off the sun's direction in the east with his middle right hand finger. "Wonder how the fucker manages to stay in the sky with all the weight of his huge frikin ego."

Yami chose to ignore that statement. "Where are you going?" He asked, wondering how Yugi was going to be able to hide from the sun during the day.

"Oh don't worry about me Yami I've made some um…unusual friends in town that I'll be staying with. Goodbye brother." He disappeared into the darkness, traveling so fast that he seemed to blur in with the shadowed streets. Yami watched on after him, feeling a sense of dread. He could not escape his brother nor could he escape what he was…and what he'd soon become.

It wasn't safe here anymore, for him or for Tea.

_Tea…_He couldn't bare the thought of leaving her, yet he had to protect her. Yugi knew how important she was to him, even though he himself had not yet realized its vastness. If they wanted him, they would use her to get to him, and he couldn't allow that. He was at a loss…it was stupid of him to have let her get involved.

-X-X-X-X-

Tea dreamily unlocked her apartment and floated in through its doors, smiling like a loved crazed fool as her mind replayed the evening's events. Yami's husky and incredibly deep voice responding to her questions, telling her things that she found hard to concentrate on because there were so many things about him that she began to notice. Then to end it off he had draped his leather jacket over her shoulders, which still smelt so…

She still had his jacket! And that meant he would come back for it!

She could hardly contain her excitement and she danced into her tiny living room, twirling round and round like a young girl, which she had never been allowed to be. She felt like singing on the top of her lungs…when her world came crashing down around her.

On her walls, written in large droopy red letters, were the words, '_I CAME BACK FOR YOU_.'

She felt tears spill from her eyes as she stared up at the bloody words…her father had come back for her…

**So what do you guys think? ...I'm almost afraid to ask... hee hee's. So it's like 04:08 a.m and I've been up all night putting this together, so if you notice spelling mistakes or words jumbled up...you now know why. I'm going to bed now, I hope you all enjoyed! because now you're going to have to wait for the next chapter! laughs evily! see you next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey Guys! Real sorry it took me so long to update! I've been in and out of hospital and life has been so hectic! But I'm hoping that this chapter will be good enough to serve as my apology. Once again thank you for your incredible reviews and support I heart you all! This chapter by the way was rewritten 3 TIMES! So I'm really hoping you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Yugioh! Sigh!**

**Rating: T-M inbetween.**

**AN: Dedicated to all who have managed to stomache the plot! And please enjoy! **

**Chapter 7**

Yugi slid into his black, studded leather jacket with graceful ease as the last remaining beams of sunlight died behind the hills of Domino City. He sneered in its direction, as the symbol of the Egyptian sun god Ra sunk pitifully down from the sky. A feeling of hatred and spite swelled deeply within him, threatening to resurface when he heard the low feminine moans of pain whisper from behind him.

He had almost forgotten the weird little Goth girl that had allowed him to take up residence in her extremely dark and tomb like home during his stay at Domino City…and of course had supplied him with his 'other needs.'

She lay slouched against the doorframe with an even paler complexion than he had found her in, with two tiny puncture wounds on her neck that were still oozing delicious trails of dark blood. Examining her from afar, he realized that he had taken too much from her too soon…though he didn't really care whether she lived or died, as he could easily relocate, but it would be too much of a hassle and inconvenience.

Walking over to her slowly with his hands in his pockets, he couldn't help but be amused by how large her eyes grew when she took in his form, seeing him as a god, chiseled to perfection with dark handsome looks and surrounded by intimidating power that she found easy to submit to.

He knelt down on one knee to stroke her chalky toned face with the same tenderness a lover would use, sadistically enjoying the way her heart leapt in chest. The fool was already in love with him.

His darkly glinted eyes lustfully scanned her semi-naked body, taking in the sight of all her bruises and partly healed puncture wounds from the previous nights before…coming to the conclusion that he had been a little too rough with her.

She rested her hand on his, staring softly into his eyes with a small weak smile on her lips, ignoring the pain she felt in the hope that he would once again take her into his arms and 'love' her again. _Such a fool…_

He decided that he wouldn't kill her just yet as he needed something to entertain him during what was promising to be a very long stay in Domino City.

He had been surprised by how accommodating Domino City had been so far, practically crawling with human scum that was easy to miss, and even provided satisfactory entertainment, such as the many gang fights and rapes- live porn! And drive by shootings that he had witnessed on a daily basis. However, one particular battle didn't entertain him, but in fact did the opposite.

His brother should have destroyed the gang that attacked him, but didn't, and Yugi was still pissed about that.

Indeed his brother was not yet a fully-fledged vampire, but he was capable of far more than a mere human. Yet in battle he fought like a pansy…a wuss…there was no word strong enough to describe how pathetic he'd been…or how painful it had been to watch. It was enough to make Yugi ground his teeth together in frustration.

Yami had always been the strong one…the physically intimidating one…the one with sharp features and quicker reflexes that made him the better fighter. And even though their appearances were strikingly similar, Yami had always been the more handsome…and everyone's first choice. But now…

He threw an iron-fisted punch through the concrete wall of the small bedroom, breathing through its plaster as though he had broken through a sheet of paper. Anger raged through him like an uncontrollable wild fire that threatened to burn through his sanity and what was left of the little control he had over himself.

Unfazed by his sudden act of violence, the girl snaked her fingers down his sides suggestively, snapping him out of his train of thought. Any other day he would have taken her, but she was barely alive as it was and there was so much that he had to do that evening. The girl that had won his brother's affection would be working later that evening at the dodgy little nightclub that had served him as a 'take-out' joint since his arrival in Domino City.

_Tea_… he knew her name from listening in on several of her conversations, and found that he liked the sound of it. A knowing smirk spread across his lips, as everything was falling into place…piece by piece.

* * *

Tea glanced around her nervously as she made her way through Domino City's crowded back streets, which were filled with suspicious characters…watching out for one in particular.

She hadn't slept a wink since confronting her father's message, written in large letters that shattered her dreams and hopes of a brighter future. He had broken into her apartment, her only place of safety that she had ever known, and took it away from her…just like everything else.

He had stolen her innocence and lessened her value as a woman. He had taken her childhood and turned it into a nightmare. He had humiliated and disgraced her for his satisfaction and amusement, and ruined her life. She would never know what it would be like to attend the ballet academy she had worked so hard to get into, or travel overseas to perform Swan Lake in places like New York or Paris…and she would never see Yami ever again.

She felt as though her heart had been ripped apart. Never seeing Yami again was like the Earth losing it's sun. She had thought about him every second and every minute of her day since falling into his embrace, remembering how safe she had felt in his arms, as though danger itself was afraid of him.

She was in love with him…

Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, spilling delicately down her cheeks as her whole world slowly crashed around her.

He would never return her feelings, for she was worthless to him. It was no secret that men practically passed her around like a bottle of salt. She was a whore…a dirty unworthy whore and nothing else…used and broken. Yami had class. There was no way in hell that he would ever want her, or protect her.

She could feel her father's cruel eyes on her, knowing that he was watching and waiting…and there was no doubt in her mind that he intended on killing her.

She paused in her steps, glancing sideways at the railing that prevented many people from falling to their deaths on the highway below. Her life no longer held any meaning and if she had to die…if fate had cruelly decided that she had to die…then she would do it herself. Her father would not take this away from her too.

With slight hesitation, she climbed the railing, keeping her misty blue eyes on the road below as the traffic reached its peak…

* * *

(_Flashback)_

_The pain of waking up made it hard to think, as his dark red eyed fluttered open to a world he wished he had never been born in. He was lying on his back in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by a strange musty odor that he couldn't place._

_He tried to lift himself from the bed, but instantly fell back as a sharp electrifying pain stabbed at his sides in protest and the world spun around him in a wild dance that made it impossible for him to see straight. He wanted to throw up, but forced the bile back down his throat, trying desperately to ignore the heated pain the seared through his body._

_He felt her presence before he felt her weight rest lightly on top of him. _

"_You shouldn't move Prince Atem…" her sickly sweet words crooned, as she gently brushed his electric-bolted bangs out of his eyes, "…you have been very badly injured." _

"_Get…out…of…m-my…sight…Dendera…" Yami gasped through the ripples of pain that coursed through his limbs. _

_He felt Dendera's wondering hands roam over his bare chest, stroking him intimately as she lowered herself down onto his body. He tried to lift his arms to throw her off, but she held him down with an iron grip. _

"_Now, now Prince Atem…" she whispered huskily in his ear, "…You shouldn't exhaust yourself in your condition." He could practically hear the sadistic smile in her voice. _

"_Dendera…get off me!" He growled as his strength hastily returned to him. _

_She smiled down at him with cold, lust filled eyes…slowly running a hand down his thigh in the direction of his most sensitive area suggestively, with a look in her eyes that dared him to do something about it. He groaned at the contact, disgusted with himself for enjoying it._

"_Doesn't that feel good Prince Atem?" she whispered seductively, slowly unzipping his pants, "I can make it feel even better."_

_Yami's eyes widened in horror, and he somehow found the strength to pull her off him, throwing her onto the opposite side of the bed before leaping off it. Glancing around the room, he soon realized where he was._

"_What the hell am I doing in your room?" He growled, as memories of his first night with her, in this very Ra forsaken place, flooded back to him. This was where he had lost his virginity by accident to her…the Succubus of Egypt…his worst possible mistake that he would regret for the rest of his life._

"_I brought you here to recover," Dendera replied with false innocence that she made look like a joke. _

_Before Yami could ask what she had meant by recover, he noticed a fatal appearing scar that had ripped down from his left shoulder to the right side of his ribcage, though it had healed remarkably quickly while he had slept, and was nothing more than a pink line. It was then that he had suddenly remembered his brother…who had tried to kill him. _

"_Where's Yugi?" He rasped angrily._

_Dendera smiled cruelly with a knowing look in her eyes. _

_He grabbed hold of her throat and growled angrily, "Where is he Ra-damn it!" _

_Dendera flinched back. Fear lightly tinting her eyes as she remembered whom she was dealing with. "He's…He's…he had to feed…for the transformation to be completed," she whispered, sounding far more nervous than she looked. _

_Realization hit him like a cold wave of ice…and as stupid as his question was…he couldn't stop himself from asking it. _

"_What transformation?" he asked numbly, feeling his body ready to crumble beneath him._

"_His transformation into a vampire…"_

_(end of flashback_)

He had almost been too afraid to wonder into his room that evening, afraid of what he would find after Yugi had made use of it to entertain his 'dinner guests.' Of course Yugi was never one to disappoint…as what had once been light blue bedspreads, were re-colored with dark rusty bloodstains as well as other substances that he'd rather not have thought about.

He would never sleep in that room again, nor would he ever return to that apartment after tonight. He was leaving Domino City for good and would start afresh somewhere else, perhaps another city or small town…which ever he came by first. Not only had Domino City lost its charm, his brother's interference had made it impossible to live in…yet he couldn't help, but risk one last glimpse at the girl who made it so difficult for him to leave.

He turned into an alleyway with blind determination, trying to walk away from all his problems that he had created. It was for the best that he left her to her own life where she was safest and independent…and wouldn't have to fear the dark. He had no right barging into her life, bringing with him nearly every kind of evil that ever existed…even though he couldn't bring himself to deny how much he wanted her.

This had never happened to him before.

He had never experienced love…yet he knew the moment that his brother had threatened her life that he was in fact very much in love with her…but how? The question repeated itself over and over again within his mind, and yet the painful truth seemed to scream louder.

It seemed ridiculous to him at first, as coming from a world where love didn't exist, he had never had reason to believe in soul mates. Vampires didn't feel…they were not romantic or compassionate. The only thing they felt was blood and lust, caring only for themselves…and Yugi was the perfect example of that.

He swayed slightly and fell against the alley wall, completely drained of energy and overtaken by an overwhelming sense of regret and pain. He regretted lying to himself about what he was and running into the human world in which he would never belong…believing that he should have chosen death instead. He would never be a human, and therefore, would never be good enough for a beautiful girl like Tea.

He would have fallen victim to sleep, when the darkly sweet, demonic voice of his younger brother penetrated his thoughts. '_Asleep on the job_?'

His eyes snapped open as he glanced upwards to where Yugi was perched in a kind of gargoyle pose, on the rooftop, smirking down at him evilly.

An image of how weak he looked, slumped up against the wall with dark rings under his eyes and an even paler complexion than he usually had, flooded his mind.

"I hate it when you do that," Yami grumbled under his breath, hardly in the mood for his brother's taunting.

"If you weren't so weak, you'd be able to block it," Yugi replied smugly, leaping off the ledge and landing on his feet gracefully as though he had hopped off a small step.

Yami narrowed his eyes.

"I could catch you a cat if you'd like?" Yugi offered.

"No!" he grumbled in response as his irritation grew.

Yugi chuckled lowly under his breath. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you're a cat person."

"What do you want?" Yami grumbled irritably, unsteadily raising himself from the ground.

"Me? Oh, I was just out looking for a good place to grab a bite…or two. Know of any good places?" Yugi smirked, driving his hands into his pockets with his head cocked slightly to the side.

"Go to hell…I'm sure they'll be overjoyed to accommodate you," Yami muttered bitterly, massaging his left shoulder, which had received most of the lumpy couch's brutality, while he had lain awake all night and day in an attempt to fall asleep.

Yugi grinned in amusement. "I believe Heaven doesn't want me and that Hell is afraid I'll take over," He said through a small smile. "Quite frankly I don't think I'm welcome in either of them."

Yami raised an eyebrow, before Yugi began to snicker.

"I'm glad you find that amusing Yugi," Yami said bitterly, making his way passed his shorter brother.

"Oh for Ra's sake, come on! Lighten up! Jeez you sound older than you really are!" Yugi retorted in annoyance. "Look, let's just hunt together for old time's sake."

Yami paused in his step to glare back at him, his anger welling up dangerously inside of him. "Get this through your thick skull – I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU!"

His enraged voice bounced off the scum covered alley walls in loud echoes. If he had said that to Yugi three years ago, he would have instantly regretted it and would have dropped to his knees and begged for his forgiveness…but as he glared into the eyes of the vampire before him, who showed no emotion on his perfectly masked face…he felt absolutely nothing.

Yami didn't even bother to try and read his younger brother's mind, knowing that it would be a useless attempt. Like Yugi had said, it was all about strength, one of the reasons why he could block unwanted entries in his mind, whereas Yami could not.

Yugi's mouth opened slightly as though he were about to say something, but then drew his attention to something over Yami's shoulder, frowning darkly.

Following his gaze, Yami found himself looking at a middle-aged man that stood sinisterly at the entryway of the alley, glaring darkly at the two of them as though they had done him harm. There was something familiar about him, but Yami couldn't place exactly what it was or if he had ever come across him before.

Realizing that they were staring at him, the man turned around and left sparing them a single backward glance before disappearing into the night. Yami had to swallow the uneasy feeling that he had about the dark stranger, deciding that the insomnia he had been suffering through the past few days had been messing with his mental state.

"I don't like that human," Yugi whispered sharply, his tone and expression perfectly serious.

"Well why not kill him? Isn't that what you do to all the people you don't _like_?" Yami grunted as he pushed himself off the wall and forced himself to take a step passed his brother. Though he usually didn't see eye to eye with Yugi, he couldn't help but agree on the fact that there was definitely something unlikable about the guy.

"I would have thought you of all people would want that honour for yourself," Yugi replied, his eyes still glaring ahead of him at the empty street in which moments before a human had stood. His voice no longer held an amused tone, and Yami was unnerved by how serious he sounded.

"Why?" he spat.

Yugi narrowed his eyes in disbelief as though he believed that Yami was purposely acting dumb, but when his confused expression didn't change, Yugi's face softened in understanding, and for a very short second, Yami glimpsed the brother whom he had lost so many years ago.

"He's been lurking around your little toy lately," Yugi said through a shrug as a smirk curled onto his lips, eliminating the brief image of his human self and replacing it yet once again with his cocky vampiric attitude. "If you're not careful you may lose your place in her life."

Yami's eyes widened in realization as pieces of the puzzle began to fit into place. He remembered how she had run into his arms, petrified of whatever she had thought was behind her…but now that _something_ had a face, and Yami now knew what it looked like.

He couldn't believe that he owed his thanks to Yugi for this…but there were other dangers besides him and his brother as well as their other dysfunctional family that had to be reminded of. Tea was in danger…every instinct in his body alarmed him of that.

"She's not a toy Yugi," he mumbled before sprinting off in the direction that the stranger had left in, not caring that he had left Yugi behind. He made it to the end of the block, catching the stranger's scent, which was vaguely familiar, when a figure leapt in front of him, blocking his path as a huge eight-wheeled truck sped passed.

"Yami! You fucking idiot! What in the name of Ra are you doing you fucking imbecile!" Yugi bellowed, his eyes glaring daggers that seemed sharper than his fangs, which were partly sticking out the corners of his mouth…a sign that he was extremely pissed off.

Yami grinned without humor. "Wow 'imbecile' is a big word for someone that only stands a foot from the ground."

Yugi didn't catch the joke and ground his teeth together in frustration. "You need to feed immediately, your senses are pathetic-"

"Like you care," Yami spat, maneuvering his way around Yugi so that he could cross over to the other side of the street, taking care to check for traffic.

'_Idiot, you're making yourself a walking target! You can barely stand you fool!_ Yugi's frustrated voice blared in his mind, though Yami paid little attention to it. _'Ra Yami this is the worst area of town to be in the state that you are in!"_

Yami ignored Yugi's mental voice and continued forward as the trail began to fade.

_Shit!_

Not only was he losing the scent, his night vision was also failing him, and soon he found himself partly blinded by the invasive blackness. Yugi was right…he needed blood.

He was about to make a right turn, when by some God-given-sign, he had the urge to look up. He heard the sounds of traffic flee passed him at dangerous speeds, realizing for the first time that he was in an area where a lot of cars traveled through, yet what his eyes saw almost stopped his heart.

Like an angel she peered down from the heavens, with the saddest look on her delicately beautiful, tear stained face, standing dangerously close on the edge of the drop-off. He stood there, frozen by her beauty and concerned for her safety, feeling a sense of dread crawl up his spine.

Perhaps it was incorrect of him to assume that humans didn't generally climb over the railings to get a good look at what was below them, and Tea didn't seem to be the adrenaline junkie sort.

He was about to call out to her, when she let go of the railing…

* * *

**Oooooooooo...dodges friut (Ha I'm getting better at that!) Anyway my sister asked me to explain something that i think I should share with everyone - that if Yami and Yugi are twins, why do I refer to Yugi as Yami's younger brother - well- Yugi will sort of be sixteen forever, and Yami is nineteen. Yami is also taller. And its safe to say, Yami is also the first born...hehehehe I'm already working on the next chapter, so see you guys soon! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Guys! I know it's been a very, very, very, very long time since I have updated, but I had a huge writer's block! So please cut me a little-tini-tiny slack please?**

**Hehe anyway I hope this chapter will be satisfactory enough to compensate my lengthy absence… but I'll leave that for you to decide. **

**Rating: M – though this chapter is really like a K – T **

**Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh doesn't suck – so what does that tell you?**

**AN: I would like to thank all of you for your motivational reviews, I totally heart you guys! And I'd like to welcome our two new reviewers, and apologize for changing your opinion about Yugi… ;-) and I'd like to thank my sister Jade for the poem she wrote especially for this fan fic. It is also copy righted to her. Now on to the story…Please enjoy. **

_Life is eternal, and love is immortal,_

_And death is only a horizon;_

_And a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight_

[Rossiter Worthington Raymond]

**Chapter 8 **

_It hurts so much… _

_Too much to bare_

_I can no longer fight it_

_I no longer care_

_I can't think of how_

_Tomorrow will be_

_Instead I welcome darkness_

_Where I can no longer see_

_Take me Death,_

_Forever and more…_

_You owe me that much_

_To even the score_

_I give up_

_My life's a lie_

_The pain is too much_

_So let me die_

_No one will notice_

_If I leave without a trace_

_So let me close my eyes_

_And wake up in a better place…_

* * *

(_Yami's Prov_)

It felt as though time had completely stopped…

He stared wide-eyed as he took in the sight that both terrified and amazed him. Her hair caught in the icy breeze, which made it appear like a dimmed halo of an angel falling to earth. Her little lacy black dress flapped liked battered wings, and tiny rivers of silver tears flowed delicately from her tightly shut eyes.

Before he had barely been able to stand or think straight and had been confronted by the ever overwhelming ache in his jaw and burning sensation in his throat from not having fed. It had felt as though his insides were been pulled out of him, and his migraine had worsened substantially, leaving him almost weaker than a sick human…

He didn't feel any of that now.

Ever since he had lost Yugi to the dark side, Yami had yearned for a reason to keep fighting. What had been the point of putting himself through pain and anguish all these years, when it could have all been stopped just by allowing himself to give in as his brother had? Had that been the reason why Yugi had allowed himself to be turned? Had the realization of what awaited him, if he remained fighting his true nature, dawned on him earlier than Yami? …Had Yugi been the smart one all along?

These questions had tormented him his whole life, and there were so many times where he had wanted to give in, but somehow found the strength to keep running…desperately looking for a sign to show what his effort was worth, to keep running further…growing exhausted and weak along the way.

And yet, just as his path seemed to have reached its end, in the slum, rundown streets of Domino City, where his quest had become blind and pointless…he saw her saw her fall.

It was during that single second of what could have been the very last for both of them that the world seemed to pause in its wild and crazy dance, as his surroundings blurred from his sight and all that remained clear and vibrant, in spite of the aura of misery that surrounded her beautiful form…was Tea.

His path had reached a T-junction, in which he was confronted by two choices that would alternate his destiny forever. He could have either turned in the direction that would lead him back to Egypt and back to his father, where he would be welcomed into the darkness and thereafter live a life of an unfeeling and uncaring, cold creature that only thirsted for blood, sex and violence. And although it sounded dreadful, it would never cross his mind ever again while permanently in that state, and he would be free from pain…and belong.

Or…

He could choose to keep fighting…to keep living…for her…the girl he loved. By saving her, he would choose a dangerous path that was just as pointless as wondering around the world trying to deny what he was. By saving her he would be flirting with a painful demise that would definitely ensure an eternity in hell…but if he didn't save her…there was no point in life.

There was no doubt about the road he wanted to take.

There had never been a moment when he had felt such power pulse through him, relieving him of all the aches and pains that had once held him back. All that mattered was Tea…the girl he loved…who was going to die, unless he saved her.

Within a heartbeat, his feeling of weakness subsided and was immediately replaced with a god-like strength that flooded throughout his body and streamed into his limbs, powerfully lifting him up from the ground and throwing him through the air. He rebelliously defied the laws of gravity, which no longer had a hold on him and thrust his arms out to catch the angel that had stumbled from grace.

His arms powerfully wrapped around her waist and he instantly pulled her close to his body as they rocketed high up into the air. It was the highest he had ever jumped as they soon passed the tenth story window of one of the many rundown apartment buildings, until he landed like a cat on the flat rooftop, holding her securely in his arms in a bridal style fashion.

* * *

(_Tea's Prov_)

It took a while before Tea's clouded mind was able to process that she was no longer falling. She didn't dare open her eyes in fear of what she might see. As far as she knew, she was dead, feeling nothing but an uncomfortable numbness and a slight chill of a breeze blowing against her that seemed distant and almost unreal.

She couldn't believe that it was all over so quickly…that the pain was gone forever and she would no longer have to fear her father or anything else in the cruel world from which she came from. Death had welcomed her and she had embraced it without even feeling the slightest bit of pain. It had been quick, so terrifically quick, that she hadn't even had time to cry out…his name.

A dull ache thudded in the place of her heart…Pain…Even in death she felt the pain of been separated from him. How cruel fate was.

A sudden wetness on the apple of her cheeks woke her from her delirious dream. She was crying…tears streamed from her closed eyes and down to her chin as an overwhelming realization washed over her.

Her broken heart was thudding violently against her chest and blood pounded in her ears. The blisters on her hands from holding the railing so tightly, stung and the icy cool wind burnt the surfaces of her bare skin. She was still very much alive…not dead…but then…what was happening to her?

Before she opened her eyes, she concentrated on her other sensations, and for the first time realized that a pair of strong arms held her fragile body in a tight and protective embrace. She breathed in a familiar scent, one that had lingered on a jacket she cherished, one that drugged her and numbed reality, one that only belonged to him…

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a very disturbing and shocking sight. The ground was far below them as they rocketed into the sky…Yami was…flying, though that was impossible…wasn't it?

She didn't know what to believe, everything that had happened that night had been unbelievable. She was conflicted on whether she should be afraid by what was happening to her, or overjoyed that she was in the one place she felt safest in.

Then almost as quickly as it had happened, she found that they had stopped 'flying' completely, and felt Yami's grip tighten as he landed on the rooftop of an extremely tall building. She couldn't bring herself to look up into his eyes…afraid of him and confused. Very confused.

For a long while there was silence between them, though she felt his intense gaze of her. He never let her go or spoke a word, almost as though he too were afraid. Eventually after a few intense minutes, and with every ounce of courage she had, she lifted her startled azure eyes to his, trembling in fear.

She gasped.

It was almost as though a light had finally been turned on, as everything became clearer to her. In the bright moonlight, she noticed things about him that had captivated her from the very beginning, though she hadn't been able to put her finger on it until now.

His eyes took on a new shade of red that were both wise beyond their years as well as dangerous. His flawless, pale complexion seemed to glow with a light of its own and an odd black and misty shadow seemed to hover over his form. Every instinct in her body told her to run, her mind practically screaming that he was dangerous…but her heart told her differently.

Something about him began to weaken then, and the light that surrounded him began to fade. He took in a nervous shallow breath before he spoke, "Tea…are you alright?" His voice was shaky.

She wasn't alright…

The excitement of the day's events had taken a toll on her and she felt her body give in to a sinking feeling that was impossible to resist. She felt herself fall into a sinking pit and found her eyes closing in exhaustion. And then there was just darkness…

* * *

(Yami's _Prov_)

Yami gasped in fear as Tea's body went limb in his arms.

"Tea! Tea are you alright?" he cried, gently shaking her body. _Oh Ra! _He feared the worst. He couldn't lose her, not now, not like this.

With limited energy now that his adrenaline rush had begun to wear off, he placed her body down gently, carefully observing her. He was about to check her vital signs, when the sight of her neck stopped him…

His eyes examined it hungrily, and suddenly his ancient old vampiric instincts kicked in. Her intoxicating scent enticed his hungry senses and he felt the sharp points of his fangs slide down the side corners of his mouth. He could hear the delicious flow of her blood rushing through her veins, and her slow but steady heartbeat that indicated that his prey was still alive…

No! She wasn't his prey!

He scrambled away from her, feeling his body grow hot with need and desire. His muscles clenched and ached in protest, but he forced himself to move away. The temptation grew stronger and more needy, and Yami knew without a doubt that he would lose control.

He clutched his head with both his hands, fighting for control over himself…which grew less and less…and less…

A fist came from out of nowhere and collided with the left side of his jaw, sending him flying through the darkness and landing hard onto the rooftop about ten feet away. Dazed and confused, with a body that felt as though a fire-truck had run over it, he laid there, his eyes half lidded with the belief that he was dying. A dark figure emerged carrying something in his left hand, making his way towards Yami with casual strides.

"Idiot!" The figure hissed in a familiar sounding voice. There was a ripping sound before the flood of a delicious aroma filled the air, which got closer and closer, until it was directly under Yami's nose. "Drink!"

Blood! Had he have been in his right frame of mind, Yami would have never swallowed the delicious tasting liquid, no matter how much he had wanted too, but he was in too much pain to argue with his senses…as this blood, was clearly human. He drank hungrily, frustrated that it wasn't going down his throat quick enough, but grateful that the supply didn't seem to end.

There was another ripping sound, something that sounded like ripped plastic, and once again, a different, but equally delicious aroma filled the air.

The figure handed the bag of blood to him and began to walk away towards something that was lying on the ground, and knelt down beside it.

Eventually his vision began to clear, as did his senses. His body was still sore and his unquenched thirst still raged, but he was able to make sense of things once again. He knew that he was holding medical bags of blood, AB and O type to be exact, and that someone had given them to him…!

His head shot up in Yugi's direction, sinisterly crouched over Tea's body…Tea whom he had almost…_Oh Ra!_

He tried to get up, but fell back down pathetically as a strong wave of dizziness washed over him. Yugi glanced in his direction, giving him one of his trademark glares that substituted for 'rolling eyes sarcasm.'

'_Don't be a fucking idiot_,' Yugi's mental voice hissed. '_Stay down and drink your blood or I'll force the rest of it down your throat._'

Yami growled, his eyes glaring into Yugi's challengingly. "Get away from her!" He threatened, trying once again to lift himself from the ground.

Yugi raised an eyebrow, though this time there was no sign of amusement or playfulness in his features. His eyes were the darkest they had ever been, perfectly serious and more than dangerous, and his body language although still graceful and easy moving, was tense and businesslike.

"Do you want her for yourself then?" He asked darkly.

Yami growled angrily and tried to move, but found that he just simply couldn't…

"You touch her and I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? Kill me? And how do you suppose you'll do that brother?" Yugi spat venomously. "Perhaps you'll first chew my legs off, since that's just about the only part of my body you'll be able to reach in your position right now…or maybe you'll go as far as destroying my studded boots in attempting that, so I'll die of heartbreak."

Yami flinched back. Yugi had become quite a moody person after his change, and it was quite common for his brother to fly into fits of dark rage every now and again, but never once had Yami ever felt its shockwaves until now.

"I'll find a way," Yami hissed.

Yugi glared at him before throwing him another bag of blood. '_Drink it. The girl's fine, she just fainted_.'

Yami didn't trust him in the slightest and refused the blood.

Yugi lost patience and growled angrily. "For Ra's sake stop been so damn stubborn, daylight approaches in a couple of hours and I don't have all night to baby sit you and your little blood-whore!"

"Don't you dare call her that!" Yami growled fiercely, ignoring the aches of his protesting muscles.

Yugi spun around on his heels and marched over to Tea's body and roughly lifted her up from the ground effortlessly.

Yami's eyes widened in terror, "Yugi what the hell are you doing?"

Yugi glanced back at him with an evil smirk, for jumping off the side of the building, taking Tea with him.

'_Drink up and get some sleep then come and find us, we'll be waiting.'_

Before Yami could say another word of protest his world suddenly went completely black as he drifted off into a very deep slumber…with the image of Tea's beautiful smiling face fading into the blackness…

* * *

**Yeah I know its not one of my best works of art, but thanks for reading anyway, I've got some idea of what is going to happen next, but I want to know something from you guys first – soon the 'flash-back-love-scene' in the first chapter is going to come up (since this is the past and its catching up with the present) do you guys want me to rewrite it in detail or just imply what happens since you have all read it before? Or should I just surprise you? Hehehe okay okay, I'll go work on the next chapter, bye bye…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Guys! Guess what! Guess what! Its chapter 9! And guess what else- its here! LOL! I had so much fun writing this chapter, that I can't wait to show it to you! Of course there are a few surprises in store for you all, wink wink…but enough about that, let's get on to chapter 9!**

**Dedication: To Peaches as it was her birthday on the 31 August, I hope you had an awesome day, and to everyone who took the time to review my work, it means a lot to me, and I totally heart you guys to death. And to my little sister who thinks I talk too much…little brat. **

**Disclaimer: I totally don't own Yu-gi-oh sorry!**

**Rating: M! Be wary sensitive readers!**

**AN: Please note that Tea's Prov in the italics section is graphic, which some sensitive viewers may find disturbing. Please if you are sensitive towards domestic violence, I strongly suggest you skip it. Otherwise please enjoy!**

**Chapter 9 **

_She stood before him, partly naked, afraid to look him in the eyes. Seated in front of her on a wooden stool, his blue eyes glazed over and thickened in lust observed her young body in sick admiration._

_Her twelve-year-old body was more developed than some of the other girls in her school. She had to wear a trainer bra, which made most of the other girls jealous and sometimes the boys at her school teased her… but her daddy liked them._

_He often fondled them and licked them, which sent chills up her spine, often making her feel very sick. She didn't understand why he did this, but never questioned him about it, remembering how he always got really, really mad whenever she did. _

_He had come up with a new game for them to play… a dress up game. Today she had to dress up as 'Cinderella,' but not the princess version, the one where she had to dress up as the slave girl version. There was a collar around her neck and spiky bracelets that cuffed her wrists. Her skirt was ripped, showing the skin of her thighs and panties, and her chest was bare, revealing her semi-developed boobs that her father couldn't stop staring at._

_His eyes were soulless as he waited for her to play her part, an expressionless smile plastered on his lips. Knowing fully well of what the consequences would be if she didn't do what her father wanted her to, she began her dance, just like the girls on the movie he showed her, did. She did her best to get her hips to move the same way, but failed to do so…much to her father's annoyance._

_She was within arm's reach of him, so he didn't even have to rise from his seat to carry out his punishment. His open hand flew across the air and slapped her hard, the sound creating a terrible echo that bounced off the basement walls. _

"_That was pathetic! Do it again you little bitch," he growled irritably, "Or don't you love me?"_

"_No! No! Of course I love you Daddy," Tea apologized fearfully, feeling tears creep into the corners of her eyes. She had to do better…she had to do better…she had to be a good girl…she had to be a good girl…_

_She tried the hardest she had ever tried in her short lifetime to perfect the art of the dance. Trying desperately to ignore her father's intense gaze. He began to make a weird noise that sounded like he was in pain. She didn't risk glancing at him, but felt nervous and afraid. _

_Soon she felt his cold, rough hand grip her wrist and forcedly pulled her to him in frustration. "Show me how much you love me Tea!" he growled in frustration, his breathing labored and his body tense._

_Tea gulped down the bile that she felt rise in her throat. She didn't like doing what he wanted her to do, but she had no choice. She knelt down below him, carefully placing her hands on his crotch, which looked rounder and bulkier than normal. She carefully unzipped his pants, and dug in to find his 'thing.' _

_Her father got impatient and growled his frustrated demand that she hurry up, which she immediately responded to, as much as it sickened her to do so. It felt so weird and alien in her mouth, and she hated its taste…but sucked on it anyway. Her father's body rippled in pleasure, as he gave into low moans that only made her feel worse. She wanted to stop; she didn't like the game and wanted to stop, mentally begging her father for mercy…but to no avail. Soon a sour taste invaded her taste buds, and although she tried her utmost best to stop herself from getting sick, she couldn't fight against the tide of vomit that exploded up her throat…_

_She didn't throw up on her father…but she may as well have, because the result would have been exactly the same. He hit her so hard that she saw stars, and she instantly regretted what she had done even though it hadn't been her fault. _

"_You stupid little bitch!" he ranted, throwing her to the ground and then pulled her up by the hair to slap her again. "You stupid, weak little bitch! I'll fuck'n kill you next time! Do you hear? I'll fuck'n kill you!"_

* * *

Tea woke up crying.

Her entire body trembled, in spite of the warmth of the unfamiliar room. Her father's grotesque angry expressions remained behind, haunting her long after the nightmare, and she could still feels his beatings and sickening lustful gaze on her.

Although her father had always had a violent streak in him, though the physical abuse only really took place after she had turned twelve. He was often careful about where he hit her, making sure that they were in areas that could be covered, but on that day…he had lost control.

Tea cringed as images of that day still plagued her mind. It was the day when she truly became afraid of her father.

Unable to block the images, and unable to fight the fear that smothered her, she curled into a ball and cried…

* * *

The goth-girl's pale blue eyes fluttered open, catching sight of Yugi's silhouette while he sat on the edge of the bed with his back turned to her. Her body was still stiff from their 'activities' from nights before, but she was feeling much better than she usually did, yet there was something different about her today…she was no longer under his control.

Her mind, clearer and rational, made sense of her situation and she automatically began to panic. She knew what he was…she knew what he could do and what he wanted to do, what he did and what he was still going to do, and suddenly she didn't think vampires were so cool anymore…

She gulped as silently as she could, swallowing hard as her heart thudded against her ribcage. She glanced nervously in the doorway's direction, figuring that she could attempt to make a run for it while he still wasn't looking and with every ounce of courage she could muster, she slowly raised from the bed and forced herself forward, hoping to take him by surprise…

Yugi spun around before her body left the bed, grabbing her wrists in mid air with a bored, unsurprised expression on his darkly handsome face. She gasped in fear with wide terrified eyes, realizing what a stupid mistake she had made. She knew he was capable of killing her almost as easily and as quickly as one would squash a bug. Such was his instinct…

She whimpered in terror, her eyes burning with tears that pleaded with him not to hurt her again. She remembered how he snapped her ex-roommate and ex-best friend Alice's neck almost as easily as one would snap a thin twig off a branch. She expected him to do the same as he thrust her down onto the bed, holding her wrists captive at her sides with an unbreakable iron grip.

"P-please," she stuttered as tears delicately flowed from her eyes.

He made a slight movement, which startled her. She shut her eyes instinctively as her face tightened in a grimace, expecting to experience a surge of fiery pain somewhere on her body…a pain that never came. Instead she felt his grip loosen and eventually disappear.

Confused and afraid, she dared to open her eyes, and saw that he was no longer on the bed, but standing far across the room, staring out of the bay window with a faraway look in his angry eyes.

It was the first time he hadn't hurt her…

Her hand involuntarily slid up to the side of her neck finding nothing but smooth skin and old scars.

"Wh-wh-why didn't you…" she began in a quivering voice, finding herself at a loss for words and practically incapable of a single intelligent thought. He didn't say anything or even spare her one of his trademark cold glances, almost as though he hadn't heard her.

"Why are you allowing me to…" she flinched when he moved, terrified of it as she knew how dangerously quick he could be, even if the movement was a simple as him slightly adjusting himself by placing his hand against the wall to make his stance more comfortable.

"Because I didn't feel like it." His smooth, angelic flowing voice sent pleasurable shivers up her spine, momentarily paralyzing her like it always did. "Don't worry, I'll compel you later," he added bitterly.

She was terrified of him, taking note that for the first time he seemed to genuinely be in a bad mood, which he had never been in before…and if what he did to her in the past had been during his lighter moods…what exactly would he do to her when he was like this?

"Why do you need to?" she asked softly.

He scoffed. "I can't have you wondering around unsupervised with the realization of what I am you stupid…_girl_." His voice was angry, but also sounded tired, and she noticed for the first time that he looked just that…_tired_.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they did, the frightening realization of what they meant hit her like an ice-cold tidal wave…

"Are…are you going to…" Her words choked in her throat as she struggled against a sob that was about to escape from it, but forced herself to say them anyway, "…kill me?"

Yugi turned to face her, taking note of how she cowered away from him, evidently terrified, which he couldn't blame her for. With a tired sigh, he leant back against the wall, wearing a bored expression as he decided on how to answer her question, figuring that there was no point in lying to her. "Yes…eventually."

Her eyes widened in surprise and fear, before she gave into a small sob, which was soon followed by a mini flood of tears.

"Why?" she asked, with desperation, "Why kill me?"

He frowned in irritation at her stupid question and emotional breakdown. He couldn't stand it when girls cried as it annoyed him terribly, which was kind of ironic, considering that when he was still alive he had always been the shoulder-to-cry-on type…now he took pleasure in causing them.

"Because you know too much. That's all there is to it," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, casting her a glare that warned her to shut up and accept it. With the kind of night he had endured previously, he had no trouble with thoughts of killing her.

Yami had surprised him greatly the night before, showing once again that he was the 'gifted one,' that everyone had always known him to be. Yami had been physically weak before the incident, which should have made it impossible for him to have even jumped a foot – never mind over eleven stories high…_son of a bitch_.

On the other hand, he nearly lost control of himself near the end, just as Yugi knew he would, and almost drowned himself in his little toy's blood. _The fool_…

The girl, Tea, was lying fast asleep in the spare bedroom that since Yugi's arrival in Domino City, had become 'vacant,' completely unaware of what was happening around her. He had stayed up most of the night watching her, just in case she woke up earlier than expected. Of course he could have let his own 'toy' stay up instead and guard her, but should _Tea_ have grown hysterical, there was no ways the little goth-girl could have handled her, and that was the last thing he needed. Plus, her body hadn't fully recovered from his assault, and she needed her recovery sleep.

In all he managed to steal a few hours of sleep, but what bothered him and put him in an even worse mood was when he woke up and found himself cradling his little airhead puppet in a lover's embrace that was a little too close for comfort. It irritated him, though he didn't know why, only that it was wrong by his standards. He also could stand the way she looked at him, trembling like a frightened animal as though he would attack her at any second…

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly, not in a very talkative mood, but felt that the atmosphere was too tense and the room was too quiet for his liking.

The girl looked taken aback and seemed to be at a loss for words, which irritated him further. In a frustrated voice, he repeated his question, which immediately received a response from her as though she had been violently shocked out of her frightened trance.

"It's…its Rebecca…or just Becky," she answered softly, her heart fluttering in her chest.

He nodded stiffly, not caring what the difference was between calling her Rebecca and Becky, figuring that he would probably never use either of them. After a few minutes of awkward silence he decided to once again attempt to break it. "How are your wounds?"

She looked at him nervously, which he figured was because she was afraid he would reopen them before they had a chance to heal again…even he couldn't blame her for that.

"I'm not going to drink from you today or tomorrow, so don't worry," he reassured her unnecessarily, not really understanding why.

She appeared slightly relieved by this, and answered him with a soft delicate voice, "They're fine…I feel…a little better," she averted her eyes from his nervously, fidgeting with the ends of the bedspreads. Her gaze swept over her body and it dawned on her for the first time that she was semi naked, wearing only a pair of sexy red panties and a skimpy tank top that just ended under her breasts and showed a lot of cleavage.

Suddenly self conscious and a little cold she began to cover herself, running her hands up and down her shoulders vigorously. Yugi took in all of this with fascination. He hadn't felt cold or warm in three years, as been a vampire made him almost completely immune to it. He couldn't decide if he missed it or not. In fact he couldn't even remember what it had felt like.

"How old are you?" he asked her suddenly.

She looked surprised once again by his 'chatty' mood, since the only things he had ever said to her were his commandments, and had never spoken to her unless she was under his control. "I'm…I'm seventeen."

"You don't look seventeen," he commented dryly, taking note of her youthful appearance that seemed much younger. He had originally thought that she was a rather small fourteen-year-old.

A look of annoyance touched her delicate facial features.

"I mean…you're tiny," he added after observing her a little more.

"So what if I am? You aren't so tall yourself you know," she grumbled in irritation, immediately regretting it when she realized whom she was talking to. However, much to her surprise, a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. Yugi understood Rebecca, Becky, whatever her name was, more than what he usually allowed himself. He too had been a victim of 'height bullying' especially by their cousin Seto, who was beyond average height.

She opened her mouth slightly as though to say something, but then seemed to have thought better of it, and closed it again. "Something you wana' ask?" Yugi asked, involuntarily folding his arms, genuinely curious by what was on her mind.

She seemed hesitant at first, but curiosity slowly got the better of her. "How old are you…300? 400?"

Yugi couldn't help but grin, which surprised her more than what he was about to say. "Actually I'm…nineteen."

She raised her eyebrows. "You mean your body is nineteen? I meant like how many years you have been around?"

"I know what you meant, I've been around for nineteen years," he responded through a smirk, "My body however is sixteen." He didn't know why he added the extra information, but decided not to think too much of it…in fact, he didn't want to think at all.

She was about to ask or say something else, when he heard Tea's quiet sobbing, which was too low for human ears to detect, snapping his attention towards the direction of the spare bedroom. Becky, despite the fact that she didn't hear it, was able to tell that there was something wrong just by looking at his sudden change of expression.

He pushed himself away from the wall and began making his way to the door; a confused and somewhat concerned expression on his face. Becky made an attempt to follow him, but he automatically stopped her with a simple gesture of his hand. "Wait here," he commanded, before mentally punching himself for his lack of logic. Before she could utter a word of protest, he used his mind controlling technique to make her obey his command, and was almost sad to see her face go blank, as she became his obedient puppet once more.

But he didn't have the time to dwell on it and made his way to the spare room, where the crying girl was located. He walked up to the closed door quietly, just listening in on her before he decided on what to do next, picking up her frantic heartbeat and labored breathing between her sobs. She was obviously frightened by something, which he figured was probably the result of waking up in a strange place after going through the events of the night before, since there was no one else in the room with her like he had previously thought.

Casually leaning against the wall with a frown, his listened in on her, finding the rhythm of her heartbeat slowing slightly to a calmer rate, though he could tell she was nowhere near calm. Never being one to think things over, he didn't hesitate a moment's longer before clutching the door handle and slightly pulling it open.

_Show time_…

* * *

Yami slowly woke from his nightmare, feeling the angry glare of Ra on him. His skin felt hot and irritated, and in some parts stung. His eyes flinched open in confusion, as he had no idea why he felt the way he did. Nausea overwhelmed him, and despite having slept rather well, his body felt weak and completely drained as well as burnt…_burnt_!

He jolted with a start as he realized where he was…outside!

Memories of the previous night came flooding back to him as he remembered been within arms reach of losing Tea to her own foolishness, and then almost…losing control of himself to his thirsting needs…and then…Yugi! _Son of Set_!

He automatically regretted his hasty, violent jerk that he had made involuntarily, and clutched his pained and blistered skin, which protested angrily and gave in to a low pained moan… In spite of being only half human, his skin was still fairly sensitive to the sun, though not nearly as much as a fully turned vampire's, but more than a human's. The sun had not only damaged his skin, but had also left him incredibly weak, which was worse since he had already been handicapped during the night before the sun took out its vengeance on him as well.

He didn't want to at first…but curiosity got the better of him, even though he KNEW that it wasn't a good idea…

Taking a deep breath, he risked a glance at his wounded body…which nothing could have prepared him for properly. He immediately gasped and forced himself to look away, cussing angrily under his strained breath. His skin no longer had its inherited light brown shade that came from his Egyptian heritage, but was instead blistered red and swollen, and in some areas blood oozed from angry sores, while others were dried and flaky. He didn't like to imagine what the rest of him looked like, but had a pretty good idea just by what it felt like…

However, he had a much bigger problem to worry about, that didn't leave room for his petty physical condition. Yugi had taken Tea, for a Ra-knows what purpose, though given his brother's history…it couldn't have been good. He hated to think that, but in situations like these, he had to be realistic and completely honest with himself, and the honest truth was that Yugi was a monster now…and his enemy.

Yugi's words slithered in from the forgotten dark corners of his mind, _"Drink up and get some sleep, then come and find us…we'll be waiting." _

His words sent electric chills of cold anger up his spine. Was Yugi looking for a fight? Anything was possible, but now he had roped in an asset that gave him an advantage over Yami like the sick, twisted _little_ bastard that he was. Now Yami had no choice…

Rising carefully to his feet, he staggered his way to the edge of the roof, catching the last few rays of sunset, which peeked out from the distant hills surrounding the city. A light breeze caressed his badly burnt skin gently, soothing it. Ra knew he didn't want to do this…but he would take his brother's advice, _and then use it to destroy him_…

* * *

She didn't hear the door open or even his light footsteps making their way to her, as he causally walked in. Her mind was still stuck in the limbo of her dreadful past in which she endured so many years of misery…so much that she still hadn't quite absorbed the fact that she wasn't in a familiar environment.

She sensed his presence, before she heard him, and suddenly felt a cold sweat bead down her back. At first she was convinced that her father had come from her, and felt her body stiffen and paralyze, and her breath cut short in her throat. She didn't dare move, too frightened to do anything.

Her heart pounded furiously against her chest, almost as though it were trying to break its way out of her, increasing rapidly as he got closer…and closer…

She screamed when she felt him touch her, practically leaping into the corner where the bed joined the wall, instinctively flinging herself against the hard plaster as though to fall through it. It took her only seconds to realize that she was trapped.

"Its alright…calm down…" A gentle yet incredibly attractive voice flowed to her, making her pause in her wild search for an escape, and focus her attention on…Yami?

For a brief half-second, she had almost felt relieved and completely at ease, now that her 'guardian angel' was there to protect her…but something didn't seem right.

No…there was something different about him, but the resemblance was uncanny. If it weren't for the shape of his eyes and the few inches difference in height, she would have sworn that the guy before her was her dark, dreamy Prince Charming, but this wasn't him…

_Yami_! Memories of the previous night flooded back to her, as she recalled her father's blood-written warning…standing on the edge of the bridge…falling to her death…Yami holding her tightly…flying through the air…!

Her body began to tremble involuntarily as fear sunk in. It was the first time she realized that she was in an unfamiliar place, and that a guy she didn't know, that looked exactly like _him_, was in the same room with her, and that something strange and totally creepy had happened that night, which she didn't understand! She could feel a panic attack coming along…a big one.

"There, there…its alright I'm not going to hurt you," Yugi said, holding his hands up as though he were surrendering.

"Y-Yami?" she stuttered, her mind reeling in shock and confusion as well a fear that were molding together in a fatal combination.

He looked at her confused for a moment, but soon his eyes warmed in realization. He shook his head gently, bringing his arms down to his sides as slowly as he could. "No," he said softly through a small smile that he had hoped would comfort her, "I'm his brother…twi-um-younger brother…hence the obvious similarities."

His voice seemed to have a slight calming effect on her, which he assumed was a good thing, but she seemed to still be on the verge of a breakdown, something that he really didn't have the patience or the sensitivity for. His voice had better start working miracles, he thought selfishly.

She shifted slightly, her eyes untrusting and scared, "Where's Yami?"

Yugi grinded his teeth together in frustration, "Obviously not here."

"But…but…" she didn't seem to know how to respond to him, either too terrified or unable to come up with an intelligent response. He on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. The less she spoke the better.

"Get dressed. There are some clothes in the wardrobe over there that you can use," he said pointedly to a large closet that had been forced against the far wall across the room.

She glanced over to closet, and then quickly focused her gaze back on him, unsure of how to respond.

Yugi left the room without waiting for her reply, forcing himself to retreat as slowly as he could so that he didn't frighten her further. Judging by what he had witnessed earlier, he noted that she was extremely prone to panic attacks, which was interesting.

He wondered briefly if she had suffered from a traumatizing experience in her past…but it was only briefly, because before he had been able to properly close the door behind him, an odd electric feeling pulsated through his entire being. He doubled over as its familiar, numbing effect washed over him, shutting down his senses momentarily and leaving him completely in the dark…

* * *

Yami dashed through Domino City like a human lightning bolt. His speed would have made the 'world running champion' flush in jealously, as he outdid just about every world record there was for speed. His skin was no longer swiveled or burnt, but instead was smoothed out and flawless, sporting a golden rich tan that made him truly look like the Egyptian prince he was.

He felt exactly as he had the night before when Tea was in danger, invincible and alive, only now it wasn't because of a small and innocent adrenaline rush…

He had consumed just about twenty liters of human blood in the half-hour it had taken him to fully recover and begin his manhunt for one particular _blood source_ that he fully intended beating the crap out of and killing…something he had been contemplating for years. He had forgotten what it was like to be able to move around without the added discomfort of his _needy pains_, and his gift had never been stronger!

He leapt from roof to roof, briefly picturing himself as a ninja, which almost made him laugh. The blood was an intoxicant, and worked for vampires in almost the same way alcohol did for humans, though their effects were slightly different. The blood made Yami strong and more alert than he had ever been in his life, it also gave him a sense of invincibility to take on the world…and also made him slightly giddy.

Yet with thoughts of Tea in his brother's 'care,' he didn't find things so funny anymore and instead scowled at the blackened streets around him, which immediately darkened his mood. He mentally sent out threads of his power to locate his beloved Tea's mind in all four directions; North, East, South and West…feeling a magnetic pull toward the west.

He pondered on why for a moment, until the answer came like a slap at the back of the head. _Of course_! West was where the sun set, the farthest direction from the sun. Yami hadn't thought much about it before, but whenever he traveled he tended to stay in the more western areas of the locations he boarded in, and even the tomb in Egypt had been located in the western parts of the Sahara Desert. It was a vampire instinct!

And that meant Yugi held Tea somewhere close by!

He had just narrowly sprung around the corner of a rather surprisingly cleaner and well-kept block, when her intense and troubled thoughts flooded through to him.

He found her!

He came to an abrupt halt that burnt the rubber on the soles of his boots, and stared up to where her thoughts seemed to pour out of a dimly lit bedroom window. Rational thought held him back, from simply leaping in through the window and snagging her out of his brother's reach. Yugi was a little _slug_, but he wasn't an idiot…and he was bound to have set something up.

At least Tea was alive, and with a quick check in on her thoughts, she was more confused than anything else, and seemed transfixed on the similarities he and Yugi shared, which he supposed was to be expected…Yet she kept going over and over about a horrid dream involving her father, to which she feared greatly. His powers, been stronger after the immense blood intake, were able to not only listen in to all her thoughts without restraints, but also pick up certain emotions that went with them, and even caught brief images.

One particular one was of Tea's father staring at her with an unnatural, grotesque expression, which flashed in his own mind, causing him to shiver involuntarily. There was something familiar about his face, but Yami didn't have the time to worry about it. He made his way to the other side of the building, slightly marveled by how large it was, before pin pointing Yugi's location. There was a large window that looked out onto the street where he stood, one that would be easy to break through.

Crouching down slightly, he prepared to launch himself through the window, feeling his muscles flex in anticipation. He jolted up into the air, soaring through it easily and blasted through the window, sending shattering rains of glass shears in a destructive mini explosion, from which he emerged angrily, glaring at his bemused brother that took a long sip from the wine glass that he held in his hand.

It took Yami everything he had, not to react immediately, as his brother's _very _unhealthy appearance threw him completely off guard. Yugi's eyes were blood rimmed, almost as though he had cried blood tears, and his face was white, without even a hint at his natural Egyptian skin tone…

_What the Ra_…

"You know Yami…There's a perfectly well-functioning door over there that you could have easily walked through and wouldn't have left me with the expense of a broken window," Yugi muttered calmly, downing his bloody drink in a single gulp.

Yami was in too much shock to reply, and instead gaped in silent horror.

"I mean what the hell are you trying to prove? That your Clark Kent or something?" he slurred drowsily, rubbing his temple with his fore thumb and index finger, while staring down at his empty glass with an annoyed frown. He looked drunk.

Yami then remembered why he was there in the first place, and with some reluctance quickly got back onto the point, trying desperately to look past Yugi's sudden sickly appearance. "Where's Tea?" His voice thundered, which practically shook the little room's walls.

Yugi grimaced in pain, and rolled his eyes to Yami's. He stared at Yami for a very long time, before a tiny humorless smirk spread along his pale lips. "I'm busy now…can I ignore you later?" he slurred.

"Are you drunk?" Yami growled irritably.

"Don't I wish…she's in that room o'er there," he mumbled, seeming dangerously close to throwing up his insides while he pointed at the closed door on the other side of the room. "Getting dressed…into…oh fuck," Yugi clutched his head with both his hands as though suffering a terrible headache.

Yami couldn't resist it any longer. "Yugi what the hell happened to you?"

"None of your fucking business!" Yugi growled angrily, quickly gaining the strength that he seemed to have momentarily lost. "Just fetch your fucking toy and get the hell out of here!" He flashed his fangs angrily while he spat the words out, which made him look as every bit the evil bloodsucker that he was.

Yami was taken aback by Yugi's outburst, sensing something different about it…something defensive. "Yugi what are you hid-"

'_Yami please save me_…'

_Tea_! He realized that he didn't have time to deal with his psychotic and demonized brother. He gave Yugi one final glance, still unable to get over how sick he looked, before he headed across the room where Tea's thoughts were the loudest. '_I'm coming Tea,_' He thought as he gripped on the door handle and with a powerful thrust, shoved it open.

"Tea!" he called anxiously, glancing around the room until his gaze settled on the most important person in his life. She spun around from the window, her face tear stained and her eyes glossy and frightened. Her heart jolted in its rhythm and the new tears she shed were not of sadness or fear, but of pure relieved joy.

"Yami!" she squealed, rushing over to him and falling into his waiting arms, which he eagerly wrapped around her, careful not to hold her too tightly. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her deliciously sweet scent. He had no intention of ever letting her go, and just by the few things he had heard from her thoughts, she had no intention of letting go either.

He reluctantly pulled himself from her, hating to break the contact, but finding it necessary. He held her shoulders gently and leveled his gaze with hers. "Tea are you okay?"

She shook her head, her eyes tearing up again. "No, I'm not, what's going on Yami?"

He wiped her tears away, trying to concentrate on all the different things her mind was processing. Her main concern was whether or not she was in danger.

"It's okay Tea, your safe now, I'll never let anything bad happen to you. Shhhhh, it's okay, I'm here," he said in a gentle whisper, pulling her into a protective embrace once again, while stroking her hair softly. She clutched onto him and sobbed in his chest, feeling the tension leave her body and filled with his warmth and protection that she had yearned for her whole life.

Behind them, Yugi wondered into the doorway, his complexion drastically improved and he was back to his normal cocky, badass self. "How cute!" he commented sarcastically, as he leant up against the doorframe lazily. "You two make such a cute couple," he rolled his eyes.

Yami growled under his breath. "F-" he was about to cuss, when he remembered that he was in Tea's presence. "Get lost Yugi, you've done enough!" he growled, defensively holding Tea closer to him.

"You're right, I have, and I'm not baby sitting ever again," Yugi muttered bitterly, wearing one of his bored expressions that irritated Yami to no end.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Yami growled, but before Yugi could answer Tea piped in.

"What's going on?" She said in a barely audible voice, but both vampires heard her perfectly well. They glared at each other for a while, before Yugi broke the silence.

"Well Yami, what's going on?" Yugi asked with an intimidating tone, his unnatural red eyes wild and amused.

Tea looked up at him expectantly, her heart nervously fluttering in her chest. She could tell something was wrong…little did she know that everything she knew about the world was about to crash and burn. "Yami?"

He bit his lip. He didn't know how to tell her…

"I've got an idea!" Yugi said cheerily, sounding so much like him old self that it caused a sharp ache in Yami's chest. "Why don't we all go for a little cruise around the town?"

Yami eyed Yugi warily. "We?"

"Of course!" he beamed darkly, turning his gaze to Tea, "After all, I am a part of the family aren't I?"

* * *

**Sooooo what do you guys think? Did you know that this is the longest chapter in the Perfect Strangers' series? Yeah! Hehehe okay, I'm going to go and start chapter 10 – yeah baby – chapter 10! And I've got another big surprise in store for you all. Well see ya alligators! **

**Tea would like to wish Peaches a happy birthday hug!**

**Yami would like to give Peaches a happy birthday kiss!**

**And Yugi would have loved to do both, but Yami punched him, so he settles for wanting to give her a huge birthday gift (under Yami's watchful eyes)**


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys did you miss me? Okay yes I know I've been gone for like a hundred years and have kept you waiting without even giving you a phone call! But if any of you know what it's like to write exams and complete assignments, deal with technical difficulties and run out of chocolate…then you can forgive me for my lengthy absence…no? Okay, well, I'll tell you what, Chapter ten – officially the longest chapter I have ever written is about to allow a little sneak peak into Yami's past… hmmm still not good enough, okay well how about this:

**Da da daaaa: Chapter 11 needs some assistance from all of you! Yes – all of you. I need extras for the club scene so if you want to feature as one of the extra characters, please let me know, I'll be glad to add you! I'll need to know ASAP, preferably before the end of the month, and you can even add what you'd like your avatar to do…so say for example…you want to get back at Yugi…hint hint, then tell me! Just no kissing Yami…I can't allow that. **

**Anyway once again – seriously sorry for keeping you guys waiting, please read and enjoy. **

**Rating: Rating M (Although this is really a T)**

**Disclaimer: Come on! **

**Chapter 10**

Tea adjusted the black mini skirt she wore, slightly, as she followed Yami out of the front doors of the apartment complex. After a quick examination of her reflection in the hallway mirror, she had decided to take up Yugi's suggestion and cleaned up a bit, surprised to find the clothes had foreign designer labels on, and fit her body perfectly.

The mini skirt was a sexy combination of leather and lace; a unique design that she had never come across before, but looked extremely good on her. Digging further she managed to find a rather suggestive red and black tank top, with roses intricately tangled, printed onto its silky fabric, and a very sexy, figure hugging leather jacket, which she couldn't resist. And to top it all off, she wore thigh high, high heeled, leather boots which laced up, which had unfortunately been a simple size too big for her, but she managed to walk in them without too much of a problem.

Perhaps if the circumstances had been different, and she wasn't confused by what was going on, or if her mind hadn't been bombarded by the tens of thousands of questions that desperately needed answers…she might have enjoyed the way Yami's eyes widened at her grand entrance from the bedroom…but they weren't.

An awkward silence had hung over the trio as they made their way down the back streets of Domino City's roughest neighbourhoods, each captive in their own thoughts, while the curious eyes of devious bystanders followed them from the dark, hidden corners of alleyways.

Unanswered questions whirled around the pair, particularly haunting Yami, who had up until this point, been going over and over again in his mind, on how to explain nineteen years of hellish nightmares and dark secrets that were best left untold, whereas Yugi, who had grown bored with the silence inconspicuously drifted off in another direction, though only Yami had noticed at first.

When Tea realized he was missing, she spotted him on the other side of the railway tracks, casually hopping on various objects with perfect, unnatural grace…

She didn't know much about Yugi, which made her all the more curious. They were definitely brothers, though she picked up on the negative vibes that were exchanged between them, indicating that they shared a very strained relationship.

Then again…she didn't know all that much about Yami either.

Her thoughts drifted back to the moment she walked out of the bedroom that she had previously thought to have been held captive in, only to be confronted by a startling sight. She had first taken note of the living room floor, which was covered in shattered glass, before she noticed the oversized broken window…all of which pointed to the fact that something violent had taken place there.

When she thought about it further, she realized that something had broken through it from the outside…or rather _someone_, though that would have surely been impossible…or was it?

Sneaking a tiny glance at him, she found her heart flutter in excitement, a feeling that she still wasn't used to. Ever since they had stepped out of the apartment building, he had made no attempt to touch her or get too close, yet he was tortuously within arm's reach and in spite of still been wary of him, she ached to hold his hand and experience the warm tingling sensation that she would always feel when their skins met.

The seemingly deserted rail line was rather brightly lit by the full moon that hung heavily in the black velvet sky, and although not a soul came in sight, she could feel eyes on her. This area was well known as a mugger's territory, and quite often there were reports of rapes and even homicides…not exactly the kind of place you would want to take a midnight stroll through.

Yet, in spite of it all, she was comforted by the fact that Yami was right there beside her, her protector and knight in shining armour, which always showed up when she needed him most…even if he seemed more distant than usual. She was intrigued by his mysteriousness, though at the same time held back by the invisible wall that separated them.

At that moment he looked sideways at her, catching her gaze with his alluring ruby red eyes that held so much depth and secretiveness, but glowed with warmth that melted away all her concerns and fears. It was at that moment that she found the strength to truly believe that she would handle whatever secret he was about to unlock. After all…she loved him.

* * *

**(_Yami_)**

Having drunk an enormous quantity of blood earlier that evening, Yami found himself rather giddy, and had almost given into fits of laughter for no apparent reason at all, but managed to refrain himself none the less. Tea was his sole focus at that point in time, as he had much to explain…and yet hadn't the vaguest idea of where or how to begin.

She deserved to know the truth. He owed her that much. However, there was the little problem of what would take place soon after that.

It was forbidden for humans to know of their kind. That was the one most important rule all vampires lived by. The only humans allowed knowing of their existence, were the blood-whores (slaves), and their victims who of course died with the secret, shortly after learning it. For Tea to learn of such knowledge was more than just dangerous…it was fatal.

However, what was more important than anything else was whether she would accept him or not. Of course Yami was afraid, just like any human, of rejection…but that was something he could handle, yet unfortunately what worried him most, was that if she couldn't accept it...there was a possibility that she would have to be dealt with according to vampire law…something that he most definitely wouldn't have been able to handle. Yet he would protect her no matter what, so if she truly needed to learn the truth…he would give it to her.

He breathed in deeply coming to the conclusion that it was now or never.

"Yami?" Tea asked softly, slightly alarmed.

"Tea…what I'm about to tell you, can and will put your life in danger." He said remorsefully, forcing his gaze to remain level with hers.

"Why? Are you in some kind of trouble? Did you do something bad?" She asked hesitantly.

He took a moment to process her words before answering her, "Not…exactly."

She gazed at him with wide wondering eyes that were no longer distrustful, but were filled with warmth and encouragement, as she said seven tiny little words that changed everything between them. "Yami…whatever it is…I don't care."

Every word she said came from the heart; that he knew, yet he also knew that she didn't fully understand the meaning behind her words, and once again he began to rethink about pulling her into the nightmare that she had been so oblivious to her whole life.

"You don't know what you're saying Tea," he said softly, averting his gaze slightly to the side, "What I… it's…it's just not something you can simply ignore and forget about."

"Could you respect me enough to let me be the judge of that?" she asked softly, longing to reach out and cup his face, but struggled against the temptation. His lips curled at the corners slightly, having read this from her mind…if she wanted to do so, why didn't she just break free of her restraints and do so?

Was that what he had to do? Did he have to break free of his restraints to be free?

"That will serve no purpose other than bring you closer to death," he stated morbidly, inadvertently clenching his right hand into a fist. Why couldn't things just be simple?

"Yami…I'm already dying," Tea said sadly, her blue eyes misting as though she were on the verge of tears. "Every hour…every minute…every passing second, brings me closer to my death."

He hadn't expected such an answer, and was momentarily stunned into silence, before uttering the first few words that popped into his head. "Which is why you should savour every minute of it."

"The only time I will ever savour…is the time I have spent with you, every other second has very little meaning to me…and I'd rather die young…than die without ever knowing you," she whispered lightly, her voice thick with emotion, and her beautiful face softened with vulnerability.

Her powerful words unleashed many emotions within him and also brought about the mind-blowing realization of something he hadn't noticed before, until now…

"I feel the same way…" His words were carried in the light breeze that whispered in Tea's ear before dancing off into the night. Their eyes were locked in an intense gaze, as the invisible wall between them began to quiver and crack.

'_Ra! This is so damn sappy! I think I'm going to hurl!' _Yugi's mocking, mental voice spat in disgust.

Yami instantly turned to glare in his younger twin bother's direction. Unable to act normal, Yugi occupied himself by doing what he did best…looking for trouble. On the other side of the tracks, which were naturally dodgier and practically screamed dangerous, Yugi casually strolled along the sidelines, making himself open for an attack by an unfortunate mugger that would soon meet his demise, just for the sport of it…

He sighed inwardly and returned his attention back to the young beauty before him that was about to receive the shock of her life. He gently took her hands in his and prepared himself for one of the toughest explanations of his life.

"Tea…what I am about to tell you is crazy…but I swear to you that I speak of the truth and only the truth…I would never lie to you."

She tightened her grip instinctively, "Its okay Yami, no matter what it is I'll believe you."

He smirked mentally at hearing that, wondering how many boys in Tea's life had ever revealed they were vampires. Well…he'd soon find out.

"Tea…I'm not…I'm not human."

She gave him a confused look, wondering if she had heard wrong. "What do you mean Yami?"

"…I'm a vampire."

* * *

**(_Yugi_)**

Yugi choked on a laugh that he had tried to stifle for his brother's sake, but the comical look of shock and bewildered surprise on the human girl's face was priceless. After giving her short speech about how no matter what she would believe him and be there to hold his hand when he needed him most and so on and so forth…she looked like she was ready to flee. Clearly she hadn't expected that…stupid human.

At least the lovey-dovey nonsense that they were muttering to each other had been shut up for a while, he wasn't kidding when he said he was close to throwing up. He needed to feed, since that pathetic blood-whore of his was unable to supply his fix for the evening, and he was always worse after one of his…_episodes_.

_What's her name again?_

He heard footsteps 'quietly' following behind him within the shadows to his right. He grinned darkly in anticipation. Finally! It was about time some cocky thug showed that he had a decent set of balls on him.

"_Was it…Bella?..Betty?.." _

He heard the thug's racing heart before he smelt him…though Yugi was pretty sure that any average human being with an unblocked nose would have been able to. He was definitely not drinking this human's blood…Ra, did the guy ever bath? He rolled his shoulder's back to loosen the muscles, impatiently waiting for his so-called attacker, to attack him.

"_Oh yeah, now I remember, it's Becky."_

_

* * *

_

**(Tea)**

Okay she did not see that one coming…not by a long shot. She couldn't decide if she believed him, or if she thought that he was crazy, but something about the earnest look in his eyes, that were haunted and clouded in a powerful emotion that was beyond description…the same kind of expression found in the eyes of someone that is completely and utterly alone in the world…made him all the more believable. But it was too crazy to believe…yet she believed him…and that scared her.

She instinctively too a small step backwards, her blue eyes wide in a mixture of confusion and fear and her heart thundering against her chest. For the first time that night, she was truly terrified of him.

Yami looked slightly alarmed then. "Please Tea…I'd never hurt you, I swear."

Memories of the previous days and nights flooded back to her. She remembered the night she jumped from the bridge and had opened her eyes in time to see that she was held in the arms of the man she had previously named her protector, while they flew up towards the heavens…she remembered the broken living room window, and how it had to have been broken from the outside…she also remembered how that when she first met him, there had been something dark and unnatural about him that she couldn't place…

Now she understood…there was something unnatural about him…something dangerous…far more dangerous than her father.

"Tea?"

She was completely alone in the middle of nowhere, in probably one of the worst areas of Domino City, with nowhere to run or hide. She suddenly felt panic settling in. She briefly wondered if she screamed would anyone come to her rescue…

With a look of hurt, Yami took a step backward so that he was at a safe distance away from her.

Guilt swelled up within her, but she couldn't help but feel frightened of him, unsure of exactly what he planned to do with her. "I…I…I don't…I can't…what do you…"

Yami's eyes snapped open in horror and he dived forward at an impossible speed that her eyes hadn't even had a chance to process it. She felt his arms powerfully wrap themselves around her slim waist, before the loud thunderous explosion of a gun shot, rang out through the silent night.

He cussed angrily under his breath in Egyptian, while he pulled Tea back up onto her feet, his body tensed and his red eyed glowing in a fiery rage…a sight that truly frightened her.

"_Yugi…you…idiot_!" he growled, each word dangerously emphasised.

"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that!" Yugi called from the other side in a rather cheerful voice that was really starting to cut the ice beneath him. He straightened up and with graceful ease and one arm, threw something big and heavy down onto the tracks that made a sickening thud.

His eyes glared in Yugi's direction for a few seconds longer before he returned his gaze to Tea's, softening them instantly. "Are you alright?"

She was too startled to answer at him first, yet before she could do, so much as nod, her side eyesight caught a bright flash of red sparkling from his left shoulder. She gasped in horror, "You're hurt!"

He glanced at it without concern and shrugged. "It's nothing, just a graze."

That was so male of him…

"You've been shot!" she cried.

"It'll heal," he assured her.

She grabbed hold of his arm as gently as she could; worrying that she might hurt him, to have a better look at the wound, which looked far more serious than 'just a graze.'

"But-" She gasped as the wound began to close right before her very eyes, "But how…"

He took her hand gently in his, his grip loose in case she wanted to pull away. "I know that it's a lot to take in…and there's still so much more that needs to be said…but Tea I promise that I will never hurt you."

She met his gaze, partly startled by his words, yet warmed by them.

"I…believe you." She whispered.

'_Oh my Ra…now all we need is a meadow and goddamn ray of sunshine.'_

_

* * *

_

**(Yami)**

"Technically, I'm only half-vampire…" Yami began, forcing his train of thought away from the comfort zone of the present, back into his gloomy past.

Tea gave him a puzzled look. "Half?"

He grinned bitterly. "Yes, my mother was human." He tensed as mixed emotions swirled within him about the woman, who had given birth to him and his brother.

Upon hearing his words, her thoughts scattered into several directions, which he found hard to follow at the same time, but was able to get a general idea of what she wanted to know. She wanted to know who his mother was, what his father was like, what he had meant about been rare, if he drank blood and if he did, did he only drink _virgin blood_? That thought particularly amused him.

"You see…human women can fall pregnant with a male vampire's child, but the baby is almost always stillborn. However, on very rare occasions, such as in the case with my…well, Yugi and I, as well as our cousin Seto, were all born alive. At present we are the only surviving three in existence, there was one other many years ago, but he's long dead now, and as far as I know he was also the first, which was where our limited knowledge about 'half-borns' as we are called, came from." His mind wondered back to the ancient tomb where he had been born and raised, remembering the awful shrieks of pain, of the dying slaves as they went into labour, wondering briefly how his mother had sounded while giving birth to him…

Tea listed to him in awe, captivated by his words, willing him to explain more.

"We are practically born human, though far more intelligent and advanced than human infants, though our stages of development differ from each other. For instance, I learnt to crawl about a week after I was born…apparently…and I started walking about a month later. Yugi however, learnt to speak at a month old, and was fluent with a normal five-year-old's vocabulary before he reached one…of course he never made it passed the maturity level-"

"I heard that!" Yugi growled.

Tea gasped. She couldn't believe that Yugi had been able to hear that from all the way over there, when Yami's voice had been minimally audible just to her. Yami grinned at her surprise, figuring that this was his cue to continue onto the next stage of his explanation.

"As you can see, there is another stage to our development, which takes place shortly after we reach our preschooler years. Our heart rates slowed to an abnormal beat, which would frighten most doctors, and thus also resulted in the slight cooling of our body temperature. Soon after, our reflexes became far sharper and quicker, our strength increased and as you can see, so did our hearing ability."

The pair both found themselves glancing in Yugi's direction, who gave them a curious look in return…before giving them the peace sign, " 'Sup hommies!"

Yami rolled his eyes; Yugi could be such an idiot sometimes. "That is also the stage where our fangs began to grow."

Tea's body stiffened. "Fangs?"

He chuckled lightly. "Yes, as clichéd as it is, we do have fangs…but as far as I know we can't turn into bats or melt at the sight of garlic…though it isn't particularly a favourite of mine either."

Tea giggled softly, able to agree with him wholeheartedly. Although she hadn't wanted to annoy him with questions that he might not have wanted to answer, she couldn't stop herself from asking. "So…um…do you drink blood…the 'half-borns' I mean?"

He breathed in a deep sigh, finding no point other than being completely frank with her. "Yes…we'd…" _Fall into insanity and go on a bloodbath killing spree_? "…we would die if we didn't, so it can't be helped… but we only need a little bit for survival, unlike the fully fledged vampires, who need much more to satisfy their first." He decided he wouldn't go into too much detail about blood- drinking, at least not right now.

"So do you…"

He knew what she was thinking. "I drink medical blood."

She nodded stiffly, but Yami could tell that she was relieved by this. She glanced at Yugi, and suddenly thought of yet another question that had been eating at her that whole evening. "You two are brothers…you look so much alike…"

He knew where she was going with this without even needing to invade her thoughts. "Yes…we're twins."

She gave him a questioning look that was border lined with surprise that made him sigh in defeat.

"There's something else that I need to explain…another stage in our development. You see, although we are technically vampires in our own right, we are not immortal, and we grow and age, just like any other normal human being…so to become a fully fledged vampire…we have to be turned in the same way as a human would," He explained slowly, choosing his words carefully and hoping they made sense. "Now although we are born weaker than fully fledged vampires, we reach a stage where our powers and strength are equal to theirs and this is usually when we are turned."

Images of Yugi's vampiric transformation flashed through his mind's eye, cutting deep into the old wounds that still felt fresh from his betrayal, but he refused to allow the bitterness of it to come between him and Tea during this crucial time they shared.

"The price to pay for immortality is the abandonment of one's soul for all eternity and live in darkness forever…however, should one remain half-mortal without giving in to the dark side, soon after the climax of their transformation has been completed…they begin to weaken drastically…and eventually die," He said morbidly, kicking a discarded cola can out of his way.

She eyed him questioningly, not quite understanding what he was trying to tell her.

"We usually reach that level when we're sixteen."

Her eyes widened in understanding, and her gaze quickly darted to Yugi's lazy, moving form as he strolled along on the side opposite to them. He looked younger than sixteen, but she finally understood why he and Yami were so different in height, even though they were practically structured and built the same way… Yugi wasn't developing or growing anymore…because he couldn't…and he couldn't because he wasn't a human anymore…he was a vampire.

"Yes," Yami clarified in a stiff almost angry voice. "Yugi's a fully fledged vampire."

She returned her gaze to his, startled by everything he had revealed to her, yet also realized something on her own. "You're not…"

He shook his head once, "Which is why I fled my homeland, so to prevent a forceful transformation that would turn me into one of _them_." He looked away from her suddenly; forcing himself to voice the dreaded words that he wished weren't true. "That's why it's not safe for you to be around me…I am a target for many evil and dangerous things…and they will use you in ways, that not even I have the courage to think of…to get to me…and I would never forgive myself if they hurt you Tea." He whispered tenderly.

Unable to control herself any longer, she dived into his arms, grabbing hold of him as though the floor was collapsing beneath their feet and he was the only thing she could hold onto to prevent herself from falling. He caught her and held her close, addicted to her intoxicating scent and warmth, feeling as though it would take the power of the gods to pull her away from him ever again.

"I don't care; I can't live without you…please, please don't leave me!" She sobbed, burying her face in the soft fabric of his shirt.

His logical mind processed that this was for the best…but his heart refused to agree, and if one thought about the logistics of this battle between mind and heart, it was obvious which one would win. A vampire's heart was a far more powerful organ than his brain, after all if it was staked; he would turn to ash…who was Yami, the vampire prince of Egypt…to deny its command?

He pulled away from her slightly, cupping her face lovingly. "Tea…I have searched for you my whole life…do you really find me capable of leaving you now?"

She clutched his hand with hers, smiling softly as his words sunk in, feeling all her fears, worries, concerns, confusions and hardships that had made her life so difficult, melt away…and there was only her and Yami, in the light of a brightly full moon where just a few nights before, a shooting star had crossed paths with another…

* * *

**_(Yugi)_**

Yugi had to step in before they drove him insane, deciding that he had allowed their lovey-dovey'ness to continue onward for far too long. Stroking the spot, which had been stabbed at earlier, he temporarily forgot himself and leapt over the tracks, landing a few paces behind the hugging couple with the same graceful ease a bird of prey would have.

Tea, still a newbie to the whole vampires-exist-thing, and furthermore warier of him, now that she knew that he was an actual vampire and not just half, nearly jumped out of her skin, but of course his brother was more than willing to place a protective arm around her…_such a hero_.

"Yo! Miss Lady…" He gave Tea a flirtatious wink, before giving Yami a mocked look of disgust, "And the Tramp…how about we go out and celebrate now?"

Yami, giving Yugi a dirty look after been referred to as a scruffy looking mutt from one of the Disney movies he had been unfortunate to come across during one of his travels, ground his teeth together in irritation. What was his brother scheming now?

"Celebrate what?" Tea asked, gently snuggling deeper into Yami's arms.

Yugi gave her a bewildered look. "Celebrate what? Tea…_Habiba_…we must celebrate life, and love…and family," he said pointedly, glancing at Yami, who glared daggers at him for daring to refer to her with the use of an Egyptian pet-name. Luckily Tea didn't seem to notice.

"Where?" she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Yugi grinned mischievously. "Let's go to that club you used to work for."

Yami grimaced at the prospect, whereas Tea's eyes widened in horror and alarm. "Oh god…I totally forgot! James is going to kill me!" she choked, rubbing her temples as though she suffered a migraine.

Yami was about to comfort her with a few reassurances of what exactly would happen to James if he ever laid his slimy human hands on her, but Yugi beat him to it.

"Nah, Yami would rip the toad's hands off before they came within an inch of the beautiful little face of yours," he said with a wink, purposely to annoy Yami. "So let's go clubbing, dance the night away, get drunk, have a good time, and if James wants to start something, Yami and I'll deal with him in a way that'll stop him from starting anything else…"

"I don't think we should," Yami said sternly, glaring at his brother as a silent warning. Tea had been through a lot for the past few days, and still needed time to process everything that she had been told. He didn't know how wise it would be, for her to go out clubbing at that point in time.

"Oh come on Yami! Look at this beauty next to you, she needs to have a little fun after everything that has happened, it'll be good for her, and besides…she's already dressed for it," He said in a very, very flirtatious voice, "And quite beautiful too, if I may add."

Yami was close to breaking Yugi's neck…but he had to agree with him on the fact that Tea really did look good in that very suggestive outfit. Sinful thoughts began to circulate within his mind that he had to force himself to shove away, as the last thing he needed right now was a 'turn-on.' Yet that black skirt…

"Can we Yami?" Tea asked shyly, her eyes silently pleading him, and although every instinct in his body screamed 'No!' he figured that she probably did need to have a little bit of fun…though he also knew he wasn't going to like it…but right now he couldn't of anything more than the way that her skirt showed off her legs. Ra he hated his brother!

"Of course."

* * *

_**(Yami)**_

Maybe he should have thought about this more…

Upon arrival they were confronted by a sight of utter chaos…one that Yami could only describe in Egyptian, and had no English words for, which he figured, was probably a good thing. Never been a location of disappointment, it was once again surrounded by busted up vehicles, parked oddly along the sidewalks, and of course completely surrounded by high and drunk, riff-raffs… why the Ra had he agreed to this?

A very drunk…and possibly high, brunette stumbled in front of him, giggling uncontrollably with a beer can in her hand.

"El-oooo han'som!" she shrieked, in a horrible whiny voice, as she advanced on him. He heard Tea's dark thoughts, and didn't need to look at her, to tell how she was feeling. The girl only came up to his shoulders in height, and was rather skinny, with long dark hair that reached her elbows… far too much like Dendera for his liking.

Unfortunately he couldn't react quick enough when she fell into him, and being the gentleman that he was naturally he caught her in time, so that she wouldn't fall, which was probably not the best move when Tea was standing just a few paces beside him.

"Wooo-hooo! Hahaha-heee-hee, O'me Gaaaaa-d, I'mma such a clutz!" She babbled, as she grabbed onto him for support, and looked up at him in awe and a drunkard expression of joy. "Wow…you 'av such pre-tty eye's."

He lifted her to her feet and let go of her waist, trying to pull free, but her grip on his shirt remained, "Uh…thanks."

"A kiss for myyy 'ero?" she giggled reaching up to him.

He gently pushed her back, practically terrified of the prospect, when Yugi 'surprisingly' came to his rescue.

"Sure!" He said in a very seductive voice as he spun the drunken girl around to face him, and her being too drunk to notice the difference in height made no difference when she saw Yugi, and as far as she was concerned, he and Yami were the same person. "How about we go somewhere more private?" He suggested, giving the other two a wink before leading her away, not that she needed much encouragement.

"Yugi!" He growled in warning.

'_Relax, I'm just going to have a taste_.'

Tea looped her arm through his at that moment. "Are you okay?" She said, sounding slightly annoyed, but thankfully not at him.

"Yeah, sorry about that…shall we go in?"

* * *

He watched as the pair made their way through the crowds, an anxious feeling building up inside him that was slowly becoming uncontrollable. The tall red-eyed one was his target…the girl didn't matter; only he did.

'_He is one of them!'_

'_Yet his heart still beats!'_

"How interesting…"

His gaze scanned the crowd until they rested on a couple making out in the dark alley on the side.

"Well, well…what do we have here?"

His eyes brown eyes rested on a shorter mirror image of the red-eyed one he had pursued all evening, holding a human girl close to him in a violent lip-lock. He had her tilted back in a firm hold, devouring her in a lusty kiss, while his hands snaked their way under her shirt and roamed up her back, while his lips began to trail down her neck.

To the naked eye, he looked as though he was simply giving the girl a love-bite…but he knew better.

'_He shares the blood of the red-eyed one!'_

'_Yet he is fully turned!'_

"It is obvious they have an alliance then…what should we do?"

Yugi released the girl, who continued to giggle like an imbecile and lightly kissed her on the forehead, before walking off in the club's main doors' direction.

He stared at the retreating vampire in bewilderment.

"He let the girl go!"

'_Without killing her!' _

'_What trickery is this?'_

The girl stumbled down the sidewalk; her high pitched silvery laughter bouncing off the building walls.

"What do we do now?"

'We wait…'

'_Yes…we wait.' _

A light breeze ruffled his shoulder length white hair and gently caressed the back of his neck. Yes, he would wait…after all…he had waited for this moment for many, many years…and he could certainly wait a few more hours.

* * *

**Ooooooooooo...(dodges flying fruit) Yes yes I know..I understand...but this was a very difficult chapter to write, so please forgive me...pretty please! Thanks for reading guys, especially those who have been dedicated readers since the beginning, it really means a lot and I swear that I will not give up on this story until its done. Remember, if you want to feature in the next chapter all you have to do is say so and I'll write you in...if you don't that's okay too, so see you all in the next chapter, catch you later guys, bye bye!**

**Oh by the way Habiba - is Arabic for beloved, sweetheart, etc. Just in case you were wondering...**


	11. Chapter 11

**[Sneaks out into the open]**

**Hey guys! I am so, so, so, so totally sorry for the lengthy update, but I suffered many complications, because this chapter was so frikin hard to write. Seriously! **

**A little glimpse behind the scenes of the writing of this story: It took 28 DAYS! To write! Of those, 3 to be edited. It was rewritten three times, much to my annoyance and at the same time – joy! (Ironic aint it?) And last but not least, it is definitely the longest chapter of the story and has the longest flashback in fanfiction history! You are also treated to three chapters in one – yep I combined them! **

**So any way guys, I really do apologize for taking such a long time, but it wasn't because I was lazy or anything, I put my heart into it! (Whoa…Yami/Atem…Pharaoh, has definitely influenced me!) **

**Anyway, before I allow you guys to start reading I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for sticking by me! Especially my reviewers, without you guys I would never have had the motivation to continue writing this story. You guys are the drive behind every word and every effort made to create this story and make it what it is. I am so thankful to you guys, because as long as I know that you all have my back, I'll never give up on writing it – even if I'm on a short supply of coffee and chocolate! **

**So I dedicate this fan fiction, The Perfect Strangers to….. Drkmagiciangrl125 (previously known as Star-fairy if I'm not correct), Peaches, RazzBerrieCharm, Koragirl, Sasusakuhiwatari (I hope I spelt that correctly pal) and last but not least Toxicinity! Thanks a bunch you guys, this one is for you!**

**PS: Introducing the character Razz (RazzBerrieCharm) …Yugi's about to meet his maker! **

**And before I forget, thanks for the message Peaches, I did get it!**

**Okay! Okay! I'll get on with the story now! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Seto's 'show' is apparently too rich to be owned by me…whatever that means!**

**Rating: Rated…yeah rated M (for swearing and implicated…uh…orange XD) And guys I really do mean potty mouth language, I do apologize, but I couldn't avoid it! It was just too tempting. **

**AN: This LONG chapter should keep you well entertained for a while. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 11**

_Why…? Why in Ra's forsaken name, had he agreed to this?_

To his right, a middle-aged, pedophile appearing man, lost his footing while in a drunken dance and stumbled into him, while to his left a huge bulldozer of a man shoved passed, almost knocking him sideways, an all the while, he did his best to shield Tea from the many drunken offenders, which proved far more difficult than he had previously imagined.

The club smelt of alcohol, sweat and cheap imitations of perfume and cologne, among other _familiar_ substances, which grated on his nerves like a phantom itch that you couldn't locate. Clubs like these were a vampire's worst nightmare. The thunderous music was killing his ears and the overwhelming wave of different and horrible scents that invaded his nostrils, made it hard for him to breathe. Not to mention the claustrophobic conditions in which they were crammed into a small space, packed with humans that were all drunk…their blood swimming around him…

_Ra damn it! _

The first time he came here, these 'niggly' little irritations hadn't bothered him as much as they did now, mostly because now, still practically high on blood, his senses were ten times better, and all the little things he had been able to overlook, were now ten times worse! Something he should have foresaw the moment his idiot brother opened his mouth. Unfortunately, there was no turning back now.

Glancing around the room skillfully, he took in his surroundings.

Across the room there was a small kind of booth looking area in which a group of leather clad men sat, slamming their fists on the table and conversed in what appeared to be a heated argument, while the booth next to them engaged in a drinking competition. In the far end corner, almost out of sight, there was a young girl been held up against the wall with her legs wrapped around a guy's waist, in a steamy make-out session, which Yami knew wasn't as innocent as it seemed. Other than that, there were roughly about forty other people, all drunk or mostly drunk, on the dance floor or at the bar ordering drinks…_wonderful_.

Battling and squeezing through the crowds determinedly, they finally reached an oddly deserted part of the club, where they gratefully snagged two abandoned seats. Tea, in spite of been saved many times by her agitated protector, from been pushed and shoved out the way by clumsy dancers, felt out of breath.

"Is it always like this?" Yami asked suddenly, wondering why the club seemed so much different than it had since the last time he had been there. It was also the first time he noticed the twin stripper poles and the stage that they were set upon, right in the back…_what kind of club was this_?

Tea sighed and lazily rolled her eyes, "It's Friday night, the party day of the week, so yeah. This is actually a lot calmer than usual." She bit the inside of her lip as her mind automatically went back to the many weekend shifts she had to work, and lodged between two particular memories of a certain Friday night and early Saturday morning…

James had forced her to work late one Friday night, and been new and naïve to the job, she hadn't thought anything sinister about it and did so without complaint…she always thought herself a fool for that. When the late hours of the night, turned into the early hours of the morning, she ended her shift tiredly and went _alone_ to the tiny locker room in the basement, unsuspecting of the threat that waited for her there. James, drunk and high, as per usual, slithered from the darkness and caught her by surprise, pinning her against the wall. Too numb to move from shock and fear, and stunned by the familiarization of her _father_…she couldn't fight him off.

That was the first night of many that James raped her, while everyone partied onward in the very next room, completely unaware of what was happening to her. She woke up that Saturday morning, feeling dirty and unclean, left in the corner of the basement, with him nowhere in sight…he just left her there. That had always been the most painful to her, as strange as it was. Although she loathed her body been used for another's desires, she hated been left right after it had happened…as though she were garbage; which is how she felt that morning, like a used piece of garbage.

It was then that she slowly began to doubt herself, suddenly horrified as the realization of what her memories had just told her, settled within her consciousness. She had, up until this point, forgot about what kind of past she had, and the years of been Domino City's finest _slut_…

"Tea? Is something wrong?" Yami asked her worryingly, noticing her pained expression and sudden quietness. He didn't want to invade her thoughts again, especially since he wanted to start a relationship with her, and therefore allow her, her own privacy…but Ra it was hard.

She battered her eyelids as though awaking from a trance and gave him a small reassuring smile, "Oh, I'm sorry Yami, I was lost in thought for a second there…did you say something?"

He didn't find her smile, or her answer, convincing, but didn't want to push the subject, figuring that she was probably just worried about confronting her manager James. He gave her a small reassuring smile of his own and shook his head. "I was just checking to make sure you were alright…you've been through a lot in the last 42 hours."

She almost gave in to a bitter laugh, but managed to keep wearing her mask of indifference. Her whole life had been, as he put it, _a lot_, and here he thought that an attempted suicide, the discovery of vampire existence and falling in love with one that was sort of a freak in both worlds…was too much for her? She looked up into his soul piercing eyes, wondering briefly if he really could see through her, before giving him a small grin. "Life's an adventure right?"

He grinned back, though an argumentative appearing glow began to form in his eyes. His mouth opened slightly, as though he were about to say something; something that she was sure would have started a friendly debate between them. She would have liked to imagine that she would have come out victorious, and that they would have laughed through it all, or perhaps discussed it in that playful, serious way that treaded along a flirtatious battleground…but she could only imagine, because Yami wasn't given the chance to voice his thoughts…

"What the fuck! Tina! What the hell do you think you're doing!" James' angry bark, thundered across the room, which caused some curious heads to turn in their direction. Tea's old instincts kicked in, causing her to cower back slightly in fear, but Yami quickly put a defensive arm across her waist, while lifting off his seat to stand in front of her.

The blonde human before him, smelt strongly of alcohol and smoke, and his clumsy movements, left little doubt that he had been drinking _long_ before their arrival. Just by observing the little movements he made, Yami was able to detect certain traits of James' character. He was able to sum James up in three words; drug addict, alcoholic and incredibly violent… Not someone that he wanted anywhere near his…_well around Tea_.

James seemed taken aback by Yami's defensive motion, though he quickly recovered and instantly became defensive. "Who the fuck are you? Huh? This your new bitch Tea? Huh? Don't look away from me you little whore!"

Yami almost bit through his tongue, as he fought himself against the almost overpowering temptation to break every bone in James' body. He was quickly losing his temper, which was very uncharacteristic of him in situations like these, but he didn't have the time to figure out why, for although Tea didn't particularly like the blonde human, she most certainly didn't want to see his head detached from his shoulders.

"Hey…James is it? Look, if you want to start something, then start it with me," Yami growled, each word forced through clenched teeth, "Leave her out of it."

James' thoughts were too jumbled and sketchy for Yami to get a proper reading, but by his expression and by the incredible, negative vibes that he gave off, Yami didn't need to. For some reason, there was just something about James that Yami detested, though he couldn't place on exactly what. He just sensed something about the man that he hated.

"Fuck you asshole! Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what to do with 'MY' girl?"

"…Your girl?" Both Yami and Tea said at the same time, though both tones were totally different. Tea's was one of surprise and horror…whereas Yami practically growled each syllable in a very dangerous, scary tone that sent a tiny shiver up her spine. James had no idea how close he was to meeting his maker.

"Yeah shit head! Tina belongs to me! I own her; now get the fuck outta here!" He bellowed loudly, causing bewildered stares to dart around at them from all around the club. '_If this prick thinks he can steal my little fuck toy, he's got another thing coming!'_

Yami secretly caught James' vulgar, last thought, and suddenly realized what this man's intentions were. He also wondered just how far this man had gone in the past to hurt Tea…

Quickly sneaking a glance at the girl behind him, he caught a troubled, immensely tragic look in her blue orbs that were widened in fear, which told him everything that he needed to know.

"Tea…" He growled, straining for control over himself, "Doesn't belong to anyone…you insignificant…son of a bitch!" _Screw his manners, this meant war!_ "And she most certainly…doesn't belong to you…and she never will belong to you." He took a dangerous, intimidating step forward toward James, glaring into the blonde's eyes, with true 'bloody' rage that he was glad Tea couldn't see from her position behind him.

He was about to release a well thought up, death threat, when Tea jumped up from her seat. She was disgusted at been called property by the very man who had taken advantage of her for so long, almost as though she weren't a living and breathing person. That had finally been the last straw. "I don't work here anymore James, I quit!" She spat angrily.

Yami mentally smirked at her newfound confidence, proud at her for stepping up boldly to the slug before them. He reached behind him and took her hand as a comforting and encouraging gesture, chilled at the heat of her skin against his.

James laughed loudly, sending gobs of spit flying through the air, which luckily didn't land on either of them…because if it had, then Yami without a doubt, would have 'involuntarily', knocked every single one of James' teeth out, in one swift and 'unfortunate' reflexive motion…

"You can't quit me babe, I own ya!" James growled with a maddening look in his eye. A look that intimidated her slightly, and she found herself backing down and tightening her grip on his hand, whereas Yami responded immediately, completely unfazed by James' darkened transformation.

"Actually James…she just did, and it would be best if you just backed off and let her, because I'll have no problem with _removing you myself_," Yami threatened darkly, his eyes glowering into James.'

The tension in the room became extremely apparent and there were hushed voices whispering to each other excitedly around the room. They all expected a massive fistfight and were anxiously waiting for it…which made Yami wonder if humans were all that different from vampires.

The effects of alcohol numbed James' instincts, so he didn't quite receive his sensory warnings and continued to remain arrogant and obnoxious.

"Think you're so tough huh?" James growled, thrusting himself forward, to which Yami once again quickly responded to, by grabbing the scruff of his brown-orange shirt and holding him at arm's distance away, in an iron solid grip. He didn't want to start a brawl, especially in front of Tea, so as painful as it was, he did his utmost best to keep things as civilized as he could between them.

James fought and struggled to release himself, but ended up giving in to a choke of surprise, and Yami took note of the sudden sober expression that was slowly taking place on his bewildered face. "Wha-What the hell!"

"Now listen, and listen very carefully. Tea, no longer works here, nor does she want anything to do with you ever again…so I'll say this in the most civil -" _Who the hell was he kidding?_ "And simplest…way I can… Stay – the – _fuck_ – away – from – her… do you understand me? Yes or no?"

_Say no – I fucking dare you! _Yami mentally threatened the moron before him.

James shoved himself off, backwards, grunting angrily while giving Yami a murderous glare. They glared at each other for a while, neither backing down, until James gave in and finally cowered back, casting one final death-glare at Tea before storming out the room, through the backdoors, almost throwing a young bartender out the way.

Yami watched on, secretly smug at the coward's retreat. He knew that James was far from done and would be back to start more trouble later, but until then, Tea was safe…and that was all that mattered.

He turned to face Tea, who held a look of disbelief, relief and…discomfort, in her eyes, however the moment their eyes met, the turmoil that took place within them turned into a starry look of admiration and awe, as though looking upon an angel for the first time. It made him wonder if anyone had ever stood up for her before.

"Well, now that that's done, what's next?" Yami asked her in a lighter tone, now that the storm had practically settled.

She glanced away from him, a troubled look in her eyes, which alarmed him. "I…I need to go to my locker quick and get my things…"

Yami nodded in understanding, though he had no idea what was wrong, he was about to probe her mind, but thought better of it. "Don't worry about James, I'll keep an eye and ear out for the creep…but if he does manage to sneak passed, just call my name and I'll be there okay? I promise." His words seemed to have a positive effect on her, as her eyes brightened and a small smile curled onto her lips.

"I'll be right back!"

"I'll be waiting."

He watched her retreating form with a fond smile on his lips. The effect she had on him was as strange as it was powerful, but he no longer had the will to fight or even try to understand it. There was still a lot that they needed to learn about each other, and he still had a few more big secrets that had the potential to break them apart…but for now…all he could think about, was the beautiful girl who said that she couldn't live without him, and the way he got electrifying chills whenever she touched him, her beautiful blue eyes that he swore to make glow and radiate with happiness if it was the last thing he did…and that incredibly, seductive, black skirt…

* * *

Running a hand through his spiky hair, Yugi took a moment to compose himself, before he stepped through the club's doors. He was anew and refreshed from the consumption of the girl's intoxicating blood that flowed _delightfully_ through his system. Since she was clearly 'out of it' before he drank her blood, the walk into the building, was an _eventful_ one. He was not drunk…yet…but because of the giddy effect that the blood brought, as well as the extra, added effect of having it been spiked, before he consumed it… made him tipsy…perhaps _a little_ more than tipsy.

He greeted everyone; great, big, fugly, and small - with a smile, as they passed him, and once even graced one of the more troll looking one's with a wave, before sliding through the entrance way and unsteadily walking onto the dance floor. He glanced around the room with sharp, hunting eyes, in search of his brother and…blood –_whor'_- girlfriend, finding the task to be utterly fruitless in such an environment. There were too many strong scents and loud noises for him to concentrate, especially with his already, misty, _thought_ capabilities…

He gazed around slowly until his eyes rested on small crowed gathered in the far end of the room. He saw the back of a blonde man's head, who seemed to be ready to start a fight…_how exciting! _

He hadn't seen any real action for three days and hoped that this one would turn into a real Jerry Springer brawl…minus the bouncers, of course. He saw that the blonde man had a knife tucked away in his back pocket. _Awesome!_ He hadn't seen a knife fight in ages and thought it to be a rather refreshing change for once. By the loud whispers that seemed to spread from corner to corner, he realized that he wasn't the only one, who was egging them on.

_But who was his opponent?_

Yugi maneuvered his gaze around the blonde man's form, where load and behold, stood Yami…a very pissed off, Yami. Ra…Yugi hadn't seen his brother this angry since…

"…And simplest way I can…stay – the – _fuck_ – away – from – her…do you understand me? Yes or no?" His brother's voice threatened darkly, to which Yugi gasped in amazement. Did his brother really just use the F- word in front of a lady? Did they somehow end up in the twilight dimension or something?

The blonde man stumbled backward and hurried across the room towards the back, which Yugi didn't find surprising at all, if he had been still human, and in that particular human's shoes at that particular time…he would have _crapped_ himself too.

Making his way towards the couple, he noticed Tea had gone in the other direction, whereas Yami stayed put and took a seat on one of the vacant bar stools, staring after her with a warm, gag-wrenching, love struck gaze… _For the love of Isis, did he have to do that in public?_

He slapped Yami hard on the back, before slumping down onto the bar stool next to him, giving him a cute, friendly smile, before childishly swinging around to face the front, catching sight of Mai's slender figure, bending over, to serve a drunk crowd that seemed to be doing a 'shooter–challenge.' He was enamored with the size of her chest, and liked the fact that her figure hugging tank top left little to his wild imagination, combined with her long, silky legs that stretched on and on, until met with the denim fabric of her mini skirt. He whistled his approval loudly, before turning to face his very disapproving, appearing brother.

"Tell me her name, and I won't make a scene."

"It's a little late for that," Yami muttered dryly, rolling his eyes.

Mai rolled upward slowly from her bent down position, and Yugi's eyes followed the up and down motion of her chest, which heaved upwards before falling down into its regular position.

"Ra damn it, where the hell were you raised," Yami growled lowly, giving Yugi a light shove with his elbow.

"What!" he asked innocently, giving his brother a mischievous smirk, "I was simply _admiring _the gods art…and you know as well as I that to appreciate _true art_, you need to not only _examine_ it _thoroughly, _but also _undress_ every layer, until you reach its _core_."

Yami glared at him with a distasteful look in his fiery red eyes, "You Yugi, are a _very_, _very_…_very_…sick individual."

Before Yugi could retort something vile, Mai rocked up. "What can I get…you?" Her eyes, widened in surprise, as she laid her sight on the twins, recognizing only Yami at first, and was somewhat stunned into silence.

While Yami hastily read her mind, trying to come up with a good enough explanation that she would actually believe, Yugi once again, managed to cover for them with his ever-smooth charm that once again, painfully refreshed his memory of their somewhat 'lighter' years.

"I didn't know that a dump like this could afford supermodels," Yugi grinned.

Mai's eyebrows rose, as a tiny, but flattered, smile crept onto her lips. "Why…thank you," she responded politely, aware that he was flirting with her, but her attraction was drawn more towards Yami, who chewed on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from slipping in a few negative retorts that were slowly, but surely piling up.

"Lets have a Russian Vodka," Yugi suggested cheerfully, glancing at Yami expectantly.

Yami gulped in surprise, giving Yugi a curious look before he responded, "Why?"

"When last did we have a Russian Vodka together?" Yugi grinned, giving in to low chuckles, at what Yami was sure, was the memory of their first experience with alcohol.

"No thanks," Yami muttered as he too began to relive that terrible night…even more so, the morning after. If there was one thing, Russian Vodka, did for the drinker, besides get him completely drunk and make him do things he would regret for the rest of his life… it gave him reason, to never drink again, the morning after.

"Suit yourself, can I get one?" He asked Mai with a wink, to which she gladly grinned in response.

"Sure thing Hun," she charmed, breezing off down the isle to get him his drink.

He turned to Yami, who was staring in the direction of the backdoors, in which the blonde haired man had barged through earlier. "Surely there are better things to look at?" he said, nudging his head in Mai's direction with a smirk.

Yami rolled his eyes and ignored him, while continuing to keep an eye out for James, not even taking note when Mai placed a drink down on the counter in front of Yugi. He thanked her with yet another flirtatious quip and nudged Yami in the side, which brought him out of his trance. "What?"

"Good, you didn't hear me," he chuckled, taking a sip of the fiery drink before setting the heavy glass back down onto the counter. He looked at it with a small smile as a feeling of familiarity fell over him. Although Russian Vodka was incredibly strong and brutal on the throat, as well as unfavorable in taste…it would always be his favourite. This was his secret that no one else knew about, something that he had never felt the need to share with anybody. The warmth and brutality of the drink, brought back one of his favourite memories of the past, one that always brought him back to a much happier time…and one that he often wondered if Yami ever thought about, without scorn or regret…

* * *

(_Flashback)_

_The sun had just set over the towering sand dunes, when Yugi forcefully, dragged his brother out of the eastern hatch, which wasn't easy to do, as Yami proved to be far stronger than he let others believe. "Forget it! I refuse!" he growled, doing his best to put on an angry stubborn face, but his eyes, that sparkled with amusement, deceived him. _

_They were both fifteen, but Yami was a few inches taller and acted more like an adult, with sensible, logical approaches towards things compared to Yugi…who embraced his immaturity and acted irresponsibly, on a continual basis. _

"_Come on damn it! I don't wanna drag your sorry ass across the desert, but I will!" Yugi growled back, tugging Yami forward a few steps, before been pulled back. _

"_That's what you think!" Yami spat in a smug tone, as he successfully pulled Yugi forward, five halting steps, back into the tombs entrance, feeling smug at the sight of sweat beads, dripping down his brother's forehead. _

"_Come on Yami, what are you afraid of?" Yugi rasped refusing to give up, though he knew it was pointless to use physical force on Yami. _

"_I'm not afraid-"_

"_Then come!" He used his full strength to yank Yami right out of the entrance and leapt backwards so that they were several meters away. Unfortunately, the terrain was against him, as his foot got caught in a mini sinkhole, created by the soft sand, which resulted him, in losing his balance and taking his brother down with him. They landed side by side on their backs, and for a moment were stunned into silence, before eventually giving in to loud, bellyaching laughter. _

"_Ra damn it, I think I broke my back!" Yugi complained through a wide grin. _

"_Serves you right you idiot," Yami grinned, while rising from the ground and quickly brushed the sand off himself. _

_The sky turned into a dusty pink as the golden globe retired for the night, casting the last few rays of orange light, before darkness consumed the world. "Let's go!" Yugi commanded, as he rushed forward at inhuman speed, almost leaving Yami behind._

"_Yugi wait! We can't!" Yami cried with an outstretched hand, as though trying to grab his brother and pull him back to where it was safe._

"_Come on I'll race you there!" Yugi challenged with a wink, before sprinting up the towering sand dune directly ahead of them. It took Yami a moment to think about it, before he finally gave in with a sigh…just like Yugi knew he would. His brother never backed down from a challenge that he knew he could win. Within minutes they were running across the ancient Egyptian desert, side by side, with the hot air breezily brushing through their hair and a cloud of dust covering their tracks behind them, till they reached their desired location. _

_A large canvassed covered van was their agreed finish line, and both boys put their all, into their final steps, even attempting to playfully shove and pull each other backward, until finally with one last breath of maximum input, Yami thrust himself forward and won. "Loser!" he mocked jokingly with a small chuckle. _

"_Screw…you," Yugi panted through a grin. Both were exhausted, but not for long. After a short break, they were soon ready for more, though their energy was required for a different use. Peering beneath the truck, they were able to see humans busy with all kinds of different activities, though completely unaware of their presence. They had come to an archaeological excavation, where over a hundred people had been working diligently and ardently for several months, though it hardly looked as though they were getting anywhere…_

"_Ah for Ra's sake! Why don't they just use a frikin excavator?" Yugi chirped, crouching down lower to get a better view._

"_Do you know how hard it is to back you up when you sound so stupid?" Yami muttered irritably, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. He glanced around at their surroundings, recognizing the farther eastern part of the Valley of the Kings, which was a rather strange location to come to so late in the evening. "Why are we here?"_

_Yugi grinned mischievously at him, before gesturing him to follow while crawling out from the under the van. Curious, Yami reluctantly followed pursuit, fully aware that what ever it was that they were about to do, he would regret it, but as always, he pushed that knowledge aside and stayed with his brother as they headed further into the camp with their vampiric stealth. They avoided passer-bys, by hiding in the shadows, allowing their senses and abilities to guide them invisibly through the humans, who seemed too engrossed in what they were doing to notice that others were among them. _

_It was an interesting place to be in, and the more chaos, the more the fun. They both found the human world to be an interesting place, and although neither uttered many words of it…both longed to be a part of it. They had often snuck out during the day and traveled to the more populated areas of Egypt to walk amongst the humans, where Yami, the more intellectual of the pair, preferred the more educational side of humanity and spent his time in libraries and museums, and although Yugi often accompanied him on most of his activities, he preferred the more technical and gaming sides._

_They continued towards one particular metal structure that stood forlorn and out of sight, which Yami came to understand was their reason for going to the dig site in the first place, but only Yugi knew what was inside. He led the way expertly, ducking and diving gracefully like some spy in an action movie, an ongoing gag that he and Yami had often concluded was because of their Japanese 'ninja' heritage…not that either of them knew anything about that side of their family. _

_Once they reached its side, Yugi decided to answer his brother's unspoken questions. "Guess what's inside," he whispered excitedly, lightly tapping on its metal wall._

"_Inside that thing?" Yami whispered back, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he took in its shape and size. "I don't know…probably supplies or something; it looks like a cool room."_

_Yugi grinned evilly, "Close…"_

_An image of a wooden crate, filled with bottles of some type of alcohol, flashed in Yami's mind, and at the same time his sharp eyes widened in shock. "Yugi! No!"_

"_Come on, you know you want to!" Yugi grinned, giving his taller twin a wink before shifting to the opposite side and cocked his head slightly as he listened for any approaching humans, while Yami endured a minor breakdown._

"_Bu-b-but, Yugi! Are you insane? Father is already going to kill us for what we've done already! Now you want us to do this too? Have you completely lost your fu-"_

_Yugi shoved a hand over his mouth to shut him up, while shoving him hard into the metal wall beside them, keeping his eyes solely focused on a wondering human who passed by, luckily, too engrossed on the clipboard he had in hand, to notice the two teens. "Keep ranting like that and we'll both get busted for sure!" he rasped, giving Yami a hard look, before it instantly melted into a childish, tainted innocent look that always got through to him…against his better judgment. "Come on Yami, don't be a coward! How often do we get a chance like this?"_

_Yami sighed deeply and glanced up at the metal structure with a defeated look, "I didn't even know that they were allowed to keep alcohol at excavation sites."_

"_Yami, they're American, of course they will!" Yugi chirped, before soundlessly prying open the door and slipping inside. "Hurry up!"_

_He glanced around himself cautiously, before joining his brother in the darkness, to which his night vision automatically took over, allowing him to see his surroundings more clearly. It was a lot smaller than it looked from the outside, and could fit in a maximum of six people at a time. There were poorly constructed shelves holding up foodstuffs and boxes, along with many wooden crates packed neatly on top of each other and served as the room's dividers. There was also a giant crate that resembled a sarcophagus that was pushed up against the wall, beneath what looked like a window of sorts. _

_Yugi didn't waste any time in opening one of the boxes, and pulled out a large glass bottle with a black label wrapped around its torso. He read the label silently with a grin, as Yami stood uncomfortably a few paces away, listening for any signs of approaching humans. "Russian Vodka…" Yugi read aloud in amusement, "Sounds hardcore…these guys know how to drink."_

"_Sounds like trouble and stupidity," Yami commented negatively, glancing around at their surroundings for the second time. Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes as he pulled out a second bottle and shoved it at his brother with an amused smile. _

"_Lighten up brother, tonight is going to be a night that we'll remember for the rest of our lives," he said with gentle excitement. "Do something crazy for once and stop worrying. You know that I'll always have your back." _

_Yami forced himself to relax and held up his bottle with a slight bit of interest for once, instead of concern. He had always been the more careful one and wasn't used to diving into the unknown and taking major risks, yet Yugi's words had yet again influenced and inspired him. He returned Yugi's playful gaze with a defeated smile as he gave in to his twin brother's crazy idea and responded with the same gentle, warm tone that Yugi had used, to say the words that he truly meant from the heart, "Likewise little brother."_

_Their bottles made a light cling as the glass met in their toast, and they idiotically took a long swig from their own, stopping only when they needed air. The burn in their throat was overpowering, reminding Yugi too much of the withdrawals from not drinking enough blood. He literally felt as though his throat had caught on fire and tears were on the verge of pouring from his eyes, but he refused to show weakness and continued to smile confidently as though he felt nothing, though his hand that was clenched tightly around his bottle began to shake. _

_Both felt the fiery pain and the sting of their faltering pride, while they stared at each other with feigned confidence for three painful minutes. Yami, determined not to look as weak as he secretly felt, took another smaller sip from his bottle, to which Yugi immediately imitated, until eventually; they discovered that drinking eased the pain… _

_**(**__**Later**__**)**_

_Two hours later…describing them as 'drunk' would have been an understatement. Yugi was able to eventually recollect several days later that they weren't drunk…no…they were totally trashed!_

_Been first time drinkers had left them incredibly vulnerable to the powerful effect of alcohol, but been half vampires had protected their bodies from the harmful effects that usually came with the heavy drinking, such as, alcohol poisoning…and even allowed them to remain awake through it all without passing out or throwing up, which made been a vampire in this incident great…but after having been able to therefore down almost a whole bottle each, the brothers found that their memories were slightly disorganized and incapable of thought. _

_Yugi whirled his head around slowly as the world spun around him, looking at their dingy surroundings through squinted eyes, unable to recall where his was. Beside him Yami hummed an unfamiliar tune while staring blankly ahead of himself at the sarcophagus appearing crate, giving into a small chuckle every now and again at nothing in particular. _

"_Ya-miiiiii?" Yugi slurred._

"_Wha?" Yami mumbled, turning his whole body around in a jerky motion to face his brother, almost falling over in the process. The floor seemed to be moving beneath him…which was strange to him. Were they on water?_

"_Where-tha, ffff-uck ar'rre we?" he chuckled, allowing his head to slump down, briefly grateful that the world stopped spinning when he closed his eyes._

_Yami squinted his eyes as he tried to concentrate, finding his thoughts to be rather hollow and empty with a kind of starless night's blackness. The only thing that came to mind was a toy monkey that he hadn't seen in three years, since Seto blew it up… _

_Glancing around the room once more, he made squinting eye contact with his equally dazed brother, and said with much effort, "…I fo-gottt what ya said."_

_Yugi hiccupped before staring at his brother with annoyance, "I said…hic, hic…I…"_

"_Whaaaaaaa' ahhhhh shit!" There was a loud crash as he fell onto a pile of boxes, which scattered on impact and knocked down a shelf that rained its contents down onto his badly mangled body, with the almost empty bottle of vodka still in hand and unbroken. A can of baked beans rolled along the floor, making the only noise hearable in the deathlike silence that soon followed, and was also the only thing that was still moving in the shed, until it met up with Yugi's ankle. Then all was completely quiet._

_Yugi only really registered that something had happened when he jerkily turned his head around and saw that his brother was no longer standing upright, but lay sprawled out on the ground, beneath food-cans and soup boxes. Yami squirmed and wriggled beneath them until he was free, glancing around him with a lost expression until he finally rested on the only thing he recognized in the shed…the bottle of vodka that he still held in his hand. Struggling with the lid, he managed to flip it off and took one last, wild swig that finished the remaining liquid in the bottle before allowing it to drop from his hand. However, the noise was much louder than it should have been, and made Yugi flinch out of his staring trance._

_He shakily grabbed Yami by the shoulder and stared unfocusedly into his eyes, slowly bring his finger up to his lips, "Yami…sssssshhhhhhh!" They burst out laughing, with tears streaming from their eyes and pooling down their cheeks, neither of the knowing why or even what they found funny. It took them ten minutes to able themselves well enough to stand on their own two feet, after swaying and stumbling over objects that weren't even there, falling and tumbling over each other, until Yami was able to reach the door. _

_He stared at the handle for a long time, as bits and pieces of his memory were collected in order to establish some sort of instruction and indication on how to open the bloody door…until he eventually gripped the handle and began to pull. It rattled and shook, but refused to budge. He frowned at it, before trying again…and again…and again._

"_Shit…it wooon't op'en," he said through a snorted chuckle, rattling the door handle again._

"_Wha ya mean…hic…that it wooon't open?" Yugi snickered, while draining the last remainders of his vodka from his bottle._

"_It'sss ssstuck!" Yami slurred, shoving his shoulder against it, trying to use brute force, which he didn't have, to shove it open. _

"_Then how'a we going to get out?" he inquired. _

_Yami swirled around wildly, losing his balance in the process and fell sideways, falling against the wall and slid down to the ground on his ass. He dizzily glanced around him at the room that was spinning out of control and panicked. "Holy shit! This fucking thing is moving!"_

_Yugi twirled around in alarm, "Shit! Shit! Shit!" he repeated, although he hadn't a clue of what exactly actually was moving._

"_We got'a get out-ta here! Yami cried, jumping unsteadily to his feet discovering the window that he had forgotten about. "The window!" _

_Both boys sprang into action, and climbed on top of the large crate beneath it and forced the glass pane aside. Yami clumsily fell out of it first, landing first on his neck then flat on his back, sending a mini dust cloud, of Egyptian sand to the sides…something that reminded Yugi, who dazedly stared from the window with a tight, wide grin, of a ninja's smoke bomb…_

_He began to laugh hard; his whole body jerking in time with each gulp of air that he breathed out, which resulted in him losing his balance and falling on top of his brother, knocking the wind out of him and almost knocking him out cold, as well as injuring himself in the process. "Owww! Fuck!"_

_Meanwhile, after having heard the commotion coming from within the room, a group of Egyptian diggers nervously made their way towards the cold room's door, whispering amongst themselves in Egyptian. The leader, doing his best to mask his fear, grabbed the door handle roughly and thrust it forward, opening the door outward instead of inward…finding the room empty, save for the empty bottles and what appeared to be 'violent' destruction. He began to quiver slightly, as he peered further into the room, closely followed by the other diggers who were just as anxious._

_Yugi attempted to stand up, but gravity defied him and he immediately felt his weight fall to the side of the shed, creating a loud bang that startled the diggers, who as of yet saw nothing but empty shadows. He cursed in Egyptian loudly, insulting more than just human creation before falling over again. _

"_The curse of the pharaoh is reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaallllll!" The digger screamed, springing backwards through the panicked diggers and fled the scene, to which the others soon followed in pursuit. _

_Yugi's eyes widened in horror, "Shit there's a fucking curse here! Run!" He pulled Yami's barely conscious body with him as they staggered through the darkness, which wasn't as clear as it used to be, and tried to escape the 'so called' curse that had befallen upon them…_

"_They ran to the nearest vehicle, which gave Yugi an idea. "I'll drive!"_

_Yami stopped and looked at the van that seemed vaguely familiar, "You…don't know how."_

"_I'll learn along the way then," Yugi decided, quickly jumping into the front seat._

_Yami had to have been drunk then, because he did something that no one, not even he, would believe later, words that were not in his vocabulary flowed from his mouth without a single conscious thought present to stop them, "All right!"_

_He climbed into the passenger seat, just as Yugi found the keys, and after several attempts to place the key in the ignition, the van's engine roared to life. "Step on it Yugi!" Yami yelled excitedly, to which Yugi instantly complied with, and indeed…stepped on it!_

_The vehicle jerked and rushed forward, speeding away from the dig site in a zigzag pattern that sent waves of sand to-and-froe before the vehicle practically disappeared from site. Yugi swerved right and left as though he were driving in a V-rally race. The van bounced and slid down sand dunes until it eventually flew off one, and landed hard on a kind of road, making a horrible metallic clink that sounded as though something beneath it had broke. _

"_Yuuu-g-iii!…slowwwww…doowwwwnnn!" Yami yelled, instinctively gripping onto something to hold himself down. _

_Yugi couldn't recall where the brakes were, and glanced down at the pedals with a thoughtful gaze, losing focus on the road and didn't see the Nile coming at the same time that Yami did, "Yugi! Look out!"_

"_Shiiii-" _

_Smash!_

_Yugi had only looked up in time to see his brother's dark form fly gracefully through the window screen in slow motion, extending his middle finger in accusation before hitting and bouncing off the water like a skipping stone, until he was eventually sucked beneath the water. The van flipped and rolled over into the water on its back, flinging Yugi out as well, where he too felt like a skipping stone as he bounced along, cursing Ra on each hit, until the invasion of water smothered him. He felt his body been tossed and turned under the waves, giving in to the numbing feeling that was much like he imagined death to be…until he felt a firm grip on the back of his shirt that yanked him to the surface and dragged him to shore. _

_He didn't have to see Yami's scowling face to know who his rescuer was, but when Yami spoke, his words were that of a stranger…someone he didn't know and regrettably, would never know again after that night. "Yugi…next time…crash somewhere, where there isn't fucking water!" _

… …

_The brothers walked side by side, soaked to the bone, along the Nile in silence, often colliding with each other's paths and knocking the other to the side. It then so fatefully happened, that they passed a Nile crocodile…_

_Yugi's eyes widened in surprise as he gripped Yami by the shoulder and held him back, pointing shakily in the beast's direction. "Holy Mother of Ra! A crocodile!"_

_Yami, who hadn't yet seen the giant reptile, rolled his eyes. "I may be drunk, but I'm not drunk…" (His younger twin brother would later use those words to tease him senseless, but for the time being, Yugi was a little preoccupied by the giant lizard.) _

"_That is a fucking crocodile!" Yugi insisted._

"_There are no crocodiles along the banks anymore idiot! Haven't been for years and years and years!" Yami ranted, swaying to the side as he tried to continue forward, before Yugi tugged him back. _

"_What is that then!" _

"_A hallucination!" _

_Yugi glanced over to the 'hallucination' before turning back to Yami with challenging eyes. "I bet you don't have the guts to put your hand in its mouth."_

_Yami straightened himself confidently. "Oh really? Is that what you think? Watch this!" he said defiantly, brushing Yugi's hand off his shoulder as he marched towards the, bigger than average, reptile that remained predatorily still, with its large mouth partly open, allowing just enough room for him to slip his hand in…_

_He staggered fearlessly in front of the beast, and knelt down on one knee, staring directly into its glassy eye, completely unaware of the slight movement of its tail. He gave Yugi a cocky smile, before thrusting his hand into the beast's mouth, gently grazing it on its sharp fangs. "Ha! What do you think of tha- Yeeeeeeeeeooooooowwwww! Oh fuck! Oh shit!" The crocodile's jaws snapped shut in a death grip, pinning his hand and half his forearm down with his pin-like fangs. "Fuck it! Yugi! Ra damn it!"_

_Yugi acted immediately, stupidly heading straight for the monster's tail._

"_What the fuck are you doing! It's got me by the head - not the shit-hole you dumb son of a bitch!" Yami cried out in pain, desperately trying to yank his arm back, but the crocodile refused to leg go and began to rip at it. Yugi made yet another stupid move and released the tail, allowing it to drop to the ground then tried to step over it, but been chemically unbalanced, tripped over the tail and landed on the beast's back. The jolt caused the large reptile to bite down deeper into Yami's arm. _

"_Owwww you huge son of a bitch!" Yami ranted, throwing a deathblow punch directly in its jaw, causing it to loosen its grip slightly, but not enough for Yami to escape._

_It then performed a death roll, taking Yami as well as Yugi for a ride, but too drunk to realize any of it, Yugi remained where he was, and was rolled over to the ground before been rolled on by the incredibly heavy beast. "Sh-iiiiiiiiiiiiii-t!"_

_Once Yugi was out of the way, the reptile then began to forcefully pull Yami into the water with him, but Yami, being way stronger than the average human, was able to keep his ground, playing an incredibly painful game, of tug of war. Yugi, although crushed and in pain, managed to stumble to his feet and dart over to his endangered brother. He kicked out at the beast's head, which caused it to instinctively release his brother's arm and go for the foot. Luckily it only managed to sink its teeth into his boot and not his flesh, and pulled it right off, causing Yugi to stumble backwards. _

"_What the Ra!" he raved in horror, as it bit and tore at his prized leather possession. "Son of Set!"_

_Yami grabbed the back of his arms and yanked him up, practically dragging him along as he sprinted up the bank, "Run!" _

_But Yugi refused, and halted in his step, glaring angrily at the beast ahead of them. "No! That son of a lizard has my favorite boot!" he yelled, before storming off in its direction like a rogue wild animal. "Give that boot back you green bastard!" _

_The reptile swerved and snapped at Yugi, intending to either rip off his arm or rip out his throat…either way, it was in kill mode. Yugi tried to yank the battered fabric from out of its mouth, but almost ended up losing his arm in the process. It swished dangerously back and forth, almost too quick for Yugi's drunken mind to process, and eventually succeeded in making him trip over his own feet and land in the perfect position for the croc to subdue him, but before the croc could rip out his throat, or Yami could attempt a rescue…something odd happened._

_The oversized – brown – reptile was flung backwards through the air by an invisible force, creating a large splash in the distance that seemed to thunder in the silence of the night. Both boys watched with wide, shocked eyes, stunned into silence. Neither knew of what exactly had happened…neither able to bring their thoughts into words, until Yugi, never one to keep his thoughts to himself for very long, broke it. _

"_Well that's…not something you see…everyday."_

_They heard a light thud on the hardened ground behind them…before their numbed senses sobered, allowing them to both sense the eerie presence and power, of a being of their own kind. Although still an eternity away from soberness, Yami still had his natural protective instinct to spin around and face their pursuer while forcefully shoving Yugi behind him, ready to take any threat to his brother's safety…when it became clear whom they were up against. "Oh shit…"_

_The tall vampire stood before them in his trademark posture…his body, perfectly straight with his arms folded and his piercing blue eyes that glowed like angry lightning bolts, glared at them disapprovingly, with his mouth set in an angry, straight line, and his dark brown hair lightly shifting in the breeze. Yami felt his stance relax slightly at the somewhat… 'Friendly vampire.' Friendly, meaning they were from the same clan. There were other vampire clans in Egypt, but none of them were on good terms with theirs, and were incredibly dangerous, especially for Yami and Yugi, who were the most vulnerable of the clan, having been apparently cursed with a weaker human side in their genetic build up, hence the reason why they weren't allowed to travel out the tomb at night without a fully fledged, vampire escort. _

_By the look on Seto's face, both Yami and Yugi knew that they were in trouble. _

"_Cousin!" Yugi greeted cheerfully, "Our tower and pillar of strength!" he mocked, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of their incredibly uptight, blood relative. That was the thing about Seto; he never smiled. Neither Yami nor Yugi, had ever seen their cousin ever shed a single emotion other than anger or disapproval, otherwise he wore an emotionless mask that in the place of everything else. He also hardly ever said a word, and when he did, it was never anything positive, but Yami always had a feeling that there was more to him than the miserable bastard he made himself to be, but Seto was after all a vampire. _

_Yugi also recognized their cousin as someone not to be messed with…although he never really learnt from his previous encounters; such as the time Seto broke his arm because he wouldn't stop, irritatingly, poking him in the side, or the second time…or the third time…or the time Seto snapped one of his collar bones…_

"_Evening Seto," Yami grinned amusedly, finding the fact that they were busted to be hilariously funny._

_Their cousin, as expected, didn't greet back, but instead continued to glare at them with his obvious, icy disapproval. His lightning bolted gaze, lowered to the gory open wound on Yami's forearm that oozed rivers of dark crimson blood, which was taking a much slower time to heal than what was normal. Been drunk and high on adrenaline for the time being, Yami hadn't noticed any of it, including the pain, and continued to grin stupidly at Seto, wondering what the hell the abominable snowman's problem was. _

"_Come!" Seto's voice commanded, a very rare occurrence indeed, rarer than a crocodile appearing along the Nile that was for sure, but Yami didn't feel like going anywhere._

_For once he wanted to be a rebel, it had always worked for Yugi, so for once he felt that it should have worked for him too…unfortunately, it never occurred to Yami, that they were dealing with someone that not even Yugi had gotten through to yet…but Yugi wasn't about to remind him of that._

"_I'm not going anywhere! I'll go where I want to, when I want to!" Yami bellowed defiantly, crossing his arms in a cheap imitation of his taller cousin's posture. Seto cocked an eyebrow and eyed Yami with a look that border-lined surprise. _

"_If I were you Atem…I'd want to go home then," he said darkly, which was probably the most words he had ever said in his whole life, surprising Yami greatly. He briefly wondered how many languages Seto knew and understood, and if he ever even practiced them. _

"_Good fucking thing you're not me then huh!" Yami smirked, feeling as though he had won the argument…when in fact he was nowhere close…in fact, he would later discover that Seto never lost an argument…ever._

_He was still smirking when the world went black, the last thing he saw been Seto's fist. _

_When he eventually came around, they were back in the tomb and although the crocs bite hurt like hell, the worst pain came from the headache and swollen right jaw area in which the older, half-fully- fledged vampire's right hook had given him. Dendera, who had once been a nurse during the ancient times, had brushed passed Yugi to treat Yami's wounds. She hardly spared Yugi a second glance, preferring Yami to him as she always did. _

"_Tsk tsk Prince Atem…you have suffered many painful wounds…what have you been doing?" she breathed seductively in his ear, sending chills through his body. It made Yugi sick to his stomach, but he said nothing. He knew of his brother's dislike for the beautiful seductress from the very beginning, and knew that in this case, it was the alcohol talking. _

_She trailed light caresses over his body, stimulating him sexually, before she addressed his wounds. Seto leant up against the wall, watching her erotic performance with disinterest. Yugi briefly wondered who his first time had been with and if he had ever slept with her before, but then he suddenly realized that he had never seen or heard Seto with anyone before, though that would have been physically impossible, as vampires suffered the worst sexual frustrations known to man._

"_You boys should leave me to my 'work.'" Dendera purred, as her hand traveled downward to where Yami's most sensitive area was located. _

"_I'm not leaving my brother alone here with you," Yugi stated strongly, crossing his arms over his chest with a determined look on his face, though he didn't have to wait long before Seto yanked him out the door and literally dragged him down the corridor. "What the hell are you doing!" he growled, while thrashing and clawing at Seto in vain. _

"_Ra damn it, Seto let go of me! Dendera will rape him!" _

_Seto remained silent and continued to drag Yugi along behind him, heading in the direction of the room that the twins shared. Remembering his thoughts from earlier, he temporarily forgot Yami's predicament and asked Seto the forbidden question, much to his cousin's great annoyance. "Hey cousin, I was wondering…I've never seen you with a slave girl before…are you a virgin? And hey, if you are, don't be embarrassed, Yami is one too!" Yugi had forgotten himself, thanks to the help of Russia's finest, and instead of whispering began to yell out each word, which traveled tremendously far in the solid, wall confinement of the tomb…_

_Seto ground his teeth together in irritation as Yugi ceased to realize how loud his voice actually was, and continued to babble about pointless crap that meant absolutely nothing to blue eyed man. "Or you know, if you're gay…well you know what, we can live with that you know…I mean our culture forbids it and all…and usually fags get stoned…oh shit, no offence about the name calling…uh I meant to say that, we'll support you okay…I'll even get you a male bondage slave to fuck!"_

_There were snide remarks and snickers from the other vampires further down the corridor, as Yugi unintentionally humiliated his cousin, who was on the verge of strangling him. _

"_What do you say Seto?" Yugi asked cheerfully, as they came to a sudden halt. He turned around and gave Yugi the coldest look he had ever given anyone…which was the last thing he saw that night, before Seto knocked him, completely out cold._

_(flashback ends)_

Of course the next day he had woken up with a blue eye, and fuzzy memories of the night before that didn't make sense at the time, as well as a killer headache that made him truly believe that the end was near. It also didn't help that he had woken up, sprawled out on the cold, hard stone floor that had tiny pools of his own blood, drenched onto its surface, though he was glad that whatever cuts they had come from, had healed in his sleep.

Yugi didn't remember much of what had happened the morning after that night, except that the hangover nearly killed him, having been the most painful experience of his life and of course that Yami had woken up in Dendera's bed…and well…yeah.

He had to snicker at the memory, though he knew it wasn't in good taste.

"What are you laughing about?" Yami grumbled.

"I was wondering…do you remember that night we first tried one of these?" he asked, lifting up the glass as an indication of what he was talking about.

"Yeah, how could I forget the worst mistake of my life," he muttered bitterly.

"Oh come on, it was fun!"

"You didn't wake up the next day with Dendera snuggly curled up in your arms, so of course you thought it was fun," Yami growled, as the image of her pale naked skin wrapped around his form, replayed in Yami's mind, filling him with disgust.

"I meant the fun parts."

"What about them?"

"Well…do you ever think about them?" Yugi asked curiously, unaware of how important it was to him, to hear what Yami had to say.

"No."

Yugi blinked once as a small frown appeared on his forehead, "Why not?"

"Because it was the stupidest thing I have ever done and I ended up making the worst mistakes of my life, and the only thing I am ever able to identify that memory with is pain, nausea and regret…not that you would know anything about that," Yami hissed bitterly, glaring at Yugi with hostile eyes.

Yugi was taken aback by Yami's comment, unsure of how to respond. "You really feel that way?"

Yami laughed without humor, its tone related more to that of someone sad than angry, though only Yugi picked this up. "Some of us…aren't liars."

* * *

Tea made her way down into the basement that had an old, musty scent that gave her the chills. She hated coming here, but it brought her a tiny amount of comfort in the turmoil of anguish emotions, to know that this would be the last time she ever stood foot in it. There wasn't much in her locker, except for a few odds and ends, and of course the tiny photograph of her mother that she treasured so valuably.

She yanked the locker door open a little more roughly than what she had intended, almost pulling it completely off at its hinges. _Damn it!_ Everything was falling apart again, the door, her life, and her potential fairy tale romance that she was adamant, never stood a chance to begin with. The confrontation with James had proved that she would never be able to run from her past. She would always be reminded of her broken background and bad choices, no matter how hard she tried to change. Yami would never want her now, not after he found out…

She felt something wet on her cheeks, and stroked them with the back of her hand. Tears. Why did life always have to be so damn hard?

She walked over to the tiny, ugly little bathroom that the staff used, and turned on the cold-water tap. It jerked and moaned, before finally allowing the water to pass through, spitting and hissing it out, almost as though shunning her too, just like the rest of society did. She allowed the healing properties of water to wash away her tears, feeling a little calmer and relaxed once its refreshing touch cooled down the heat of her emotional pain.

She knew she had to tell Yami about everything, knowing that it would be worse if he found out from anyone else, which was a guarantee in Domino City. She had to work up the courage…and she had to do it tonight. Yami had risked everything, even sounding insane; to let her in on his secret… it was only fair that she did the same.

Forcing herself away from where she was 'safe,' she made her way up the stairs, back to the club, which seemed to have doubled in size within the five minutes that she had been gone. She could see the side of Yami's handsome face from where she stood, surprised to see that he was frowning and muttering something to Yugi that she was too far to hear. He looked…angry.

She bit her lip, feeling her hardly-existent confidence waver as she made her way over to the boys, who immediately dropped whatever conversation they were having and turned their attention onto her. Yami's face instantly smoothed over into a warm smile as he turned to face her, whereas Yugi simply gave her a mischievous grin and a wink. It was almost as though nothing had happened.

"Hey boys," she greeted, doing her best to level her voice and mask her true feelings. "Did I interrupt something?" She reached up to dust a few chocolate strands out of her eyes at the same time Yami did, causing their skin to brush up against each other, to which he felt her body shudder as a pleasurable chill ran down her spine.

"Na, Yami and I were just…"

'_Oh come on you two! Not in a public space, some people only want to suffer a hangover tomorrow when they wake up for Ra's sake!' _Yugi's mental voice growled angrily in both their minds, causing Tea to gasp and almost fall off her seat.

Yami reached out and supported Tea, confused at first by what had startled her, until he realized that she was staring at Yugi with bewildered surprise. He immediately glared at his younger twin, who sat laughing at her shocked expression, almost shedding tears. "Yugi! Ra damn it!" he growled. What part had Yugi not understood about introducing things slowly to her?

"It's okay Tea, you've just experienced Yugi's extra ability, telepathy…I was going to explain-"

"I think we should order lime shots!" Yugi suggested randomly, giving Tea a wide grin, deciding to ignore the patronizing stare that Yami gave him. "We're here to party after all aren't we? Leave the important crap for later for when we all have hangovers tomorrow and feel as though the world's going to end anyway."

"Yugi it's already morning," Yami grumbled through tight lips.

"Do you always have to be an asshole?"

Almost as though on cue, Mai suddenly appeared before them, eager to serve and please. "What can I get you guys?" she said in a flirtatious tone, completely ignoring Tea.

"Get my brother a lime shot to brighten his mood, Tea, a pink flamingo and me…well…I wouldn't mind a _flaming orgasm_," Yugi smirked, giving Mai a seductive wink…That she fell for! Her heart fluttered in excitement as her attraction, _that she couldn't help_, _but feel towards Yugi_, grew, and she immediately returned the wink, practically floating away to fill in their order.

"Behave yourself!" Yami growled threateningly, as Tea's cheeks turned pink.

Yugi gave Yami a mocked look of bewilderment, as though he had absolutely no clue what his brother was talking about. "I am behaved!"

Mai brought back their drinks, handing Tea an unfamiliar type without meeting her eyes, though she gave Yami and Yugi and extra friendly smile. They all watched in fascination however, when she set Yugi's drink alight, and cautiously placed it in front of him with a curious glint in her eyes.

Yami widened his eyes slightly…so the flaming orgasm was a real drink after all. Who would have thought?

"Hey Yami, tell me…have you ever had a _flaming orgasm_ before?" Yugi smirked, the double meaning of his words carefully disguised by a semi-innocent tone.

Yami bit his tongue before a nasty retort left his lips.

Tea and Mai watched him curiously as he downed the drink easily, without burning himself and swallowed the fire along with it, whereas Yami just rolled his eyes.

"You should try one of these, they taste really good," Yugi recommended sincerely, gently placing his empty glass down. "Not only is our bartender just about the sexiest in the city, she can also make one hell of a killer drink." He flashed Mai a hot smile, which earned him a flattered chuckle in response.

Tea couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was Mai actually blushing?

She looked down at Yami's untouched drink, and grew concerned. "Are you okay, you haven't touched your drink yet?"

He gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm not much of a drinker…"

'_Vampire_ _says what?' _Yugi's mental voice cried.

"…alcohol wise." He added, flashing Yugi a brief dirty look, before giving Tea another warm smile.

Her eyes widened in surprise, he gave her yet another reason for her to love him, proving once again how different he was from all the other _'men' _she had had in her life. "Really? How come?" without realizing it she had pushed her drink aside, intrigued by the mysterious man who sat opposite to her.

"Let's just say…that I lost the hype of getting trashed a very long time ago, after learning a very valuable lesson about the after effects of alcohol consumption," he said through a smile, to which she eagerly returned.

"So now he pretty much sucks," Yugi chirped dryly, snatching Yami's drink from under him and downed it in one go. '_No pun intended…_'

"Slow down Yugi," Yami warned, eyeing the third empty glass that joined the small collection that was slowly starting to form around his brother.

"You're not the boss of me," Yugi grinned, his eyes slowly losing their focus…

Tea giggled, before an odd, random thought came to her. "You guys are so different from each other."

Yami nodded his head once; his face more relaxed than it had been a second before. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Totally! I have personality, charisma, charm and a raw sex appeal…whereas my brother has absolutely no personality at all - and is quite a bore…hey that rhymed! Did anyone notice that that rhymed?"

Yami rolled his eyes as his brother slowly started to head towards a drunkard state. "You forgot to mention that I have height as well." He smirked despite himself, to which Yugi narrowed his eyes in threatening glare.

"I'll bring you down a level."

"Can you reach?" Yami smirked with a cocked eyebrow.

Tea tried to stifle her laughter, but failed. It was good to laugh again, especially now that she had even heavier baggage, weighing down on her shoulders.

"You bet I can!" Yugi boasted cockily, not about to be outdone by his taller brother.

"I meant without a ladder." Yami's grin, turned into a small relaxed smile as Yugi fumed in annoyance. This was so much like how it used to be between them that suddenly Yami was able to forget that Yugi was no longer alive, and mould into the misty reality that the old Yugi was right there by his side and not a cold, undead thing.

Tea's favourite song began to play then and her face immediately lit up, which both boys picked up on, though Yami was the first to figure out why. "Favourite song?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically.

Yugi got up from his seat. "Well then, been the gentleman that I am…Tea? Would you like to dance?"

She grinned playfully at Yugi, "Absolutely!" she said excitedly, before turning to Yami, who grinned back at her, "Would you like to dance?"

Yami laughed. "I'd love to."

"Ouch! The memory of why I act like such a dick just came with a bang!" Yugi muttered in annoyance, though both could tell that he was just as amused as Yami. The young couple flashed him grins before they disappeared onto the dance floor, leaving him alone at the bar. He noticed Tea's untouched drink and pulled it towards him, wondering suddenly why the color looked slightly off. For some reason it seemed fainter than it should have been, though he wasn't sure if he was just imagining things. He decided to overlook it and downed her drink too, finding its taste to be normal enough, though rather weak in comparison to what he had drunk earlier and not nearly as enjoyable as it looked.

He was still sucking on his tongue as the weak after taste settled in, when a girl walked up to the stool beside him. The moment he laid eyes on her, a strange feeling overcame him. There was something vaguely familiar about her, though he couldn't recall ever setting his sight on her before, yet there was something stirring in back of his mind that gave him the feeling that he should have remembered something.

She was a couple of inches taller than him and appeared to be a rather feisty, kick ass type. Her pixie hair cut fascinated him the most, having perfectly straight ebony locks that reached down to the back of her neck, brightly illuminated with wild red highlights. Her dark brown eyes were merciless and hard, and he had no doubt in his mind that the young beauty before him, never took crap from anyone.

"You got a problem?" she hissed without looking at him, obviously sensing his stare more than seeing it. Her muscles were tensed and ready to fight, which made her look sexier, than intimidating in his eyes.

"Yeah actually…I do. A moment ago I thought Domino City was completely devoid of true beauty, but then you just walked in here, and changed my mind," he said flirtatiously, though she didn't seem to buy it.

"Save it for a bimbo that gives a crap," she replied harshly, nodding in Mai's direction for service.

"Wow feisty and beautiful, it's my lucky day," he stated boldly, shamelessly taking in every curve of her petite form, though luckily for him, she didn't notice.

"One paradise kiss," she ordered once Mai came around, giving Yugi a glaring side-glance.

"Make it two Mai," Yugi grinned, to which Mai automatically returned.

"I never accept drinks from shady characters I don't know," the girl stated, her posture stubborn and closed off.

Yugi smiled at her innocently, welcoming the challenge that this girl was unintentionally bringing forth. "Hi, I'm Yugi. I like long walks through cemeteries, interested in human dissection and ancient human sacrificing rituals. I also drink blood on regular occasions and you may hear rumors that I belong to the occult from time to time, but that's only because I can't go out into the sun, without turning to ash, during the day…and now that you know me, you should have no problem with accepting that drink."

"Do you think you're funny?" she asked dryly, in an extremely unimpressed tone.

"Well the drinks help," he stated through a grin.

She hesitantly took hold of the glass, giving him a wary glare, as she took a small sip. "I'm Razz."

Yugi smiled as he won the first round. "A pleasure to meet you Razz," he said politely, secretly hiding his smug smirk. However, he suddenly felt as though his body was floating, even though it was firmly seated on the stool, and his vision began to swim slightly. He shook his head once in an attempt to clear it, before refocusing on the girl before him, who gave him an odd and curious look.

"So do you come here often?" he asked.

"What's it to you?"

"Just…working out my _killer strategy_," he grinned, slowly but surely losing his sober mindset.

Razz, unaware of the double meaning in his words, slammed down her empty glass, losing whatever little patience she had left, with him, and spun around to glare directly into his ruby red eyes with the exact determined hardness he had seen earlier. "I'd just like you to know that I am a _state martial arts champion_, from a very long line of _martial arts champions_…I've taken on guys three times my size and proudly hold five records in my name…so you better hear me when I say that I am not _interested_."

Taken guys down three times her size! Wow, he was starting to really like this girl more and more.

He whistled in approval. "_I wouldn't mind if you took me on_," he said suggestively.

She gave him a growl of disgust, "We'll see how you feel when you see your guts sprawled along the pavement!"

"I love a girl that wants to get to know me inside out," Yugi winked, enjoying aggravating her more and more. However, he suddenly became curious. "What kinds of martial arts do you do?"

Razz ground her teeth together in frustration, having had just about as much of him as she could stomach, but found the question he asked to simply be just too tempting to ignore. "What kinds do you think _genius_?"

Yugi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully; "I'm guessing Judo, Kendo…and no doubt Aikido."

"And karate," she added dryly.

Yugi smiled at her knowingly as though he knew more than he let on, which made her slightly uncomfortable. "Na…there's more to your training than that. You practice other fighting techniques don't you?"

Razz gave him an uncomfortable look. "How would you know?"

"Well…judging by your height, I'd say you'd have to master the Jujutsu techniques, since you're probably going to always be a little shorter than your opponents, and – no offense- being female, you're mostly at a physical disadvantage, so you would often have to use your attacker's force against them."

Razz's eyes widened slightly, though she refused to allow him the satisfaction of knowing that he caught her slightly off guard. "Those methods are covered in judo and aikido too you know."

Yugi grinned at her, "You're not the type to learn snippets of something, and please, they may cover the technique, but you and I both know that it isn't the same, nor as effective."

Razz was startled but impressed, "How do you-"

"Know? Well I can kind of, read people very well," he said as he gave her a seductive wink.

"You sound like you actually _know something_," Razz responded.

"Ooo, ouch! Yet another strike for the hot girl in red," Yugi chuckled.

"Does pointless flirting ever get you anywhere?" Razz said, while rolling her eyes in the opposite direction.

"On normal, boring girls, yes." He smirked; giving her a playful gaze that he knew would annoy her. He knew that all he had to do was use his mind controlling ability to make Razz his…but for some reason, his ability lost its appeal when he thought how mindless she would be, and he didn't want her to lose that fire that burnt so brightly within her.

"Domino City guys are such creeps," she mumbled under her breath, unaware that she had spoken aloud.

"When did you figure that out?"

"Shortly after arriving."

He gave her a curious look a raised an eyebrow, "Then why stick around?" There were so many other questions that were whirling around in his mind, but for some reason he felt that this particular one was more important.

"I'm looking for someone…" she said after a long pause, her voice low and inaudible to human ears. Yugi watched in fascination as her emotions showed the first sign of vulnerability he had seen all evening, a sign that this wasn't just anyone that she was looking for; it was someone very important to her. She rose from her seat and met his eyes, the hard look returning to them immediately. "Thanks for the drink." She turned to leave, but Yugi couldn't resist one final assault.

"Hey, you aren't going to leave without giving me your phone number or _something_ to remember you by now are you?" He grinned evilly.

She gave him a sweet innocent smile, finally reaching her tolerance level with his vulgar suggestions and remarks. Yugi wondered if she'd either slap him or punch him, placing his best bet on a right hook, though she managed to surprise him. Her hand swiped down and grabbed hold of their neighbor's half finished glass of whiskey and flung it at him, sending a shower of strong smelling liquid down the side of his face. "To remember me by," she added sweetly, before spinning on her heels and walking away.

He stood up unsteadily as the world spun around in a wild dance that almost knocked him over, forcing him to grip onto the table top for support. He grinned after her, admiring her a little more than he should have. "Was that a no?" he called out, to which a response was never received.

He began to chuckle lightly, glancing at his agitated neighbor, before throwing down a twenty. He found that conversation to be rather fun, and temporarily forgot that there was still something about her that he was supposed to acknowledge. He was still too caught up in the moment to take note of the three, tall men that formed a group around him, their eyes hard and dark glaring at him murderously.

He felt their presence and turned to look at them with a cocked eyebrow. "Yo…what's up?"

"You the punk that messed with our boss?" the tallest one asked, with a voice that sounded like thunder.

"It's possible," he grinned, giving into a low chuckle, as his sober mind-state, threw in the towel.

As if on cue they all raised their hands and cracked their knuckles into place…obviously having had watched one too many gangster themed movies during their lonely weekends. Yugi knew that he was in for a fight, but unfortunately for the wannabes before them, he wasn't going to be so easy to defeat.

_Bring it on fuckers…_

* * *

Yami walked out through the double doors holding Tea's hand. After a while of dancing she had asked to go out for some fresh air, which he gladly complied with, having had enough of the club's interior. She had also mentioned that there was something important that she had to tell him, though her tone when she had said that had bothered him, as though it sent some silent warning to his subconscious. However, instead of reading her mind, he decided to rather wait for her to say it herself.

The air was cool and refreshing, allowing both to relax simultaneously. It was relatively quieter outside the club, though there seemed to be more people outside than inside, which were taking too great an interest in the couple than Yami would have liked. He eyed them suspiciously while he and Tea walked a little further on, stopping just short of one of the large red windows.

"Thank you for tonight," Tea said in a low voice, her gaze seemingly faraway and remorseful.

"It was my pleasure Tea," he responded warmly, taking hold of her hand.

"Um…Yami…there's something that I -"

Her words were cut off by the loud commotion and hysteria that came from within the building. It sounded as though a war was been fought, with the sounds of roaring, and glass breaking as well as the occasional thud and loud cheering that suddenly rang out.

Both Tea and Yami whirled around to face the window, wide eyed and shocked.

"What the heck is going on in there?" Tea gasped.

They heard shouting and the sound of a table been flung aside and smash into a wall.

"I don't kno-" Yami didn't have time to finish his answer, as a dark figure hurled through the air and smashed through the window, which practically exploded on the impact. He reacted immediately by swinging an arm around Tea's waist and swung her body into him, before shielding her with his own against the shower of glass that rained down on them, while the figure hit the ground hard and rolled onto his back.

"Owwwwww…." The figure moaned in a familiar voice, which caught Yami's attention.

"Yugi!" he gasped in surprise.

Yugi glanced over at Yami dizzily with a wide grin. "Oh there you are!"

"What the hell happened?" Yami cried, loosening his grip on Tea's body, but not letting go.

"I…uh…hehehehehe…I don't…hehehehe," Yugi's body rippled in laughter, which often made him choke.

Yami glanced down at him in concern, which soon turned into suspicion. Usually it was obvious when someone was drunk, but something different was occurring here, though he couldn't place his finger on exactly what. "Yugi, explain to me what happened," he asked irritably.

Yugi gazed up at the broken window, while still lying on his back, his mind blank and empty. "I jumped out the window!"

Yami ground his teeth together, trying to remain calm, "Why?"

"Because I-aaaaaaaaiiiiiii be-lieeeeeeeevvvve I can fl-yyyyyy…hehehehehehehe!"

"Okay, that's it!" Yami growled, yanking his brother up by the back of his neck violently.

"Careful with him Yami, he could be hurt pretty bad …" Tea warned, glancing at Yugi with worry filled eyes.

"Don't worry about him Tea, immortals aren't easy to kill," he muttered bitterly, tugging his brother along down the road.

"Where…we going?" Yugi asked through snorted laughter.

"Home," Yami growled, continuing to drag him along, while Tea stayed close to him on his opposite side. He realized that he couldn't leave Yugi by himself in such a condition, when sunrise was barely just a few hours away. So grudgingly, in spite of the fact that he hated what Yugi had became, and still hurt over the betrayal…he was still his brother. That would never change, no matter how much he wanted it.

"Why-hy-hyhhhyyy-hehehehe?"

"Because you are so totally trashed, you don't even know where you are, and the sun will be up soon!" Yami lectured angrily, tightening his grip around Yugi's neck.

"I am as jober as a sudge!" Yugi choked, before giving in to another fit of laughter, which tea found infectious. She began to giggle, though she desperately tried to stifle them for Yami's sake, who was fuming with anger.

_Ra damn it…why the hell had he agreed to this?_

* * *

Tea glanced at her watch, shocked to see that it was nearing 2 a.m. She felt for sure that it was much later than that, especially after everything that had happened. It was much colder now than it had been earlier and dew covered most of everything that was left out in the open, while an eerie quietness took over the sleeping world. Occasionally a shout or two, would break out from somewhere in the distance, but most of the time it was deathly silent, save for the sound of their light footsteps heading in the direction of her apartment. The pair had just dropped Yugi off at Yami's apartment, which took a while longer than expected, because Yugi had decided that he wanted to go swimming in the filthy, unkempt fountain that was situated in front of the building. Tea had never laughed so hard in her life, as Yami had struggled with his shorter twin, eventually dragging him in by the ankles, through the front doors.

She wished she knew what Yami was thinking as he walked close beside her, deep in his own thoughts…or so she thought, and found it to be too soon when they arrived in her neighborhood, mentally sighing at the thought of having to part with him. "You know I still have your jacket."

"Oh yeah…actually, you should keep it…it looks good on you," he said after a few minutes of thought.

She laughed softly under her breath as a light blush burnt on her cheeks. "It's kind of big…"

He grinned, "I noticed…but it still looked good."

She leaned closer to him and almost gasped in surprise when he automatically wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her up against him as they continued toward her apartment complex that had since, appeared in plain view. She was contemplating on inviting him up for a while, willing to do anything to make sure that he stayed with her for just a bit longer, but unsure of how exactly to go about it.

Yami secretly stole a glance at her pondering expression, having heard snippets of a mental argument that he found quite amusing, although he knew that reading her mind was wrong.

As they reached the tall front doors that led into the building, Tea turned to face him shyly; nervously brushing a few chocolate strands out of her eyes, while her mouth twitched to say something, though she couldn't seem to bring, what was been yelled loudly in her mind, into verbal and audible words.

"Do you want me to come up with you?" He asked with an innocent smile, his question catching her off guard.

Her blue sapphire eyes widened in surprise, though sparkled with delight. "Uh…well, yes totally! But not if you're like busy or anything!" She babbled on nervously, ending off with a nervous laugh while her cheeks flamed red. He stifled his laughter with a tight, amused grin, catching her off guard once again when he unconsciously caressed her right cheek that felt warm against his cool skin.

She flinched at the contact, which made him instantly regret the action. "Oh Ra, I'm sorry Tea, I forgot myself there-"

She gripped his hand before he could remove it, holding it in place against her cheek, as tears that she desperately fought back, began to form in her eyes, "No! Don't stop…" Images of her past flashed through her mind as memories of her father ripping her pajamas off savagely during his nightly visits, the many dress up games that he forced her to play, the sick photo shoots and home videos that he directed in the basement, the sick numbing feeling she'd always get when he or anyone else ever touched her, the beatings she received for defying him…everything that had ever made her feel worthless in the past, suddenly exploded within her, and she desperately needed Yami to hold onto.

She flung herself in his arms, scared that she would fall into the despair that her mind had trapped her in and into her father's outstretched claws that threatened to pull her down and claim her once and for all. Yami immediately wrapped his arms around her protectively, worried that her thoughts were once again guarded from him, meaning that she was point blank terrified. He felt her body shudder and tremble within his embrace and tightened his grip. "Shhh, Tea, hey…it's okay, what's wrong? Are you cold?"

"No…Yami…there's something that I've got to tell you…I tried to tell you earlier, but then Yugi…there's something that you have to know about me," she said through small sobs.

He pulled away from her slightly, leveling his gaze with hers before wiping away her tears. "What is it Tea?" he asked softly.

She bit her trembling lip as fresh tears escaped the corners of her eyes. He looked so handsome and strong, a pillar of strength that could have withstood the wrath of a hurricane without collapsing, and made her feel every bit as safe as one would feel in the arms of an angel…the safest she had ever felt her whole life, and yet it now occurred to her that it may be her last. It may have sounded dramatic when she declared that she couldn't live without him, but she had truly meant it, with whatever was left of her broken heart. She had never had anything to truly wake up for and be happy about, when death as easy as it was, offered a much better place. Yami had changed her life, and woke up the little girl inside herself, who once upon a time, fantasized about meeting and marrying a handsome prince and living happily ever after in a world where suffering and hardships didn't exist. Without him…she couldn't go on…she couldn't go back to her old way of life, now that she knew what it felt like to be with him…

He couldn't hear what she was thinking, but more or less sensed her distress. He cupped her face gently, confidently staring into her eyes. "It's okay Tea."

She shook her head slowly from side to side as tears fell from her eyes, "No…No Yami it isn't!"

"Don't be afraid, whatever it is…I'll protect you…I promise," He whispered soothingly, rubbing her wet cheek with his thumb. He had never seen her like this before, and couldn't help but wonder if he had done something to upset her.

"You won't after you hear what I'm about to say…you'll never want to see me again!" she sobbed quietly, tightening her grip on him, savoring every second of what she was sure would be the last time he would ever hold her.

He held onto her a little tighter, breathing in her delicious scent. Had the circumstances been different and he wasn't concerned more about her than anything else, he may have grinned at the wild turn of events that had an ironic flavor to it.

"Tea…the first thing I want to do, the moment I open my eyes, is to gaze upon your lovely, beautiful face. So that assumption of yours my dear, is highly unlikely," he whispered in her ear fondly, tightening his arms around her.

"You'll never forgive me…what lies in my past…" She bit her lip and closed her eyes, desperately gathering strength for her terrible confession.

He sighed as he gently lifted up her chin so that their gazes met and gazed into her heartbreakingly sad eyes that he wanted to banish for eternity. The gods had not made her jewel-like eyes to look so broken and dull, they were meant to be filled with laughter and warmth, something that he swore he would accomplish before he breathed his last breath in this lifetime. "Tea…please, trust me."

"I do Yami…but I'm scared!" she sobbed, lowering her gaze so that she was no longer consumed by his burning coals.

"I swear Tea, there is nothing that you have to be afraid of. I'll always protect you."

"Yes there is…my father…I have to be afraid of my father." She whispered, feeling the temperature drop several degrees as the world froze over in ice, and time itself had seemed to stop.

Those thirteen little words had opened up a floodgate, as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, to which he was finally able to solve. "Your father?" An image of the scowling man in the alley, glaring at him with a familiar set of blue eyes, eyes that he had obviously passed on to his daughter. It all made sense now…

"He's going to kill Yami! He came back…just like he promised he would…he's going to finish what he started!" Although to a wondering ear, her words made no sense at all, but Yami understood them perfectly and patiently listened to the turmoil of thoughts that filled in her verbal gaps, holding onto her more protectively as her feelings intensified.

"Tea! Tea! Shhh…nobody is going to do anything to you, not while I'm here protecting you…I won't allow it," he stroked her hair lovingly, which calmed her down a little and cleared her thoughts, making them easier for him to read. "Tell me…is this the man you were running from that day we first met?"

Gulping back a sob, she slowly nodded her head, blinking her tears away. "He's…a very bad person Yami…he…he…" She shut her eyes, trying to block out the mental image of her father assaulting her with his soulless blue demonic eyes that glared evilly into hers.

"What did he…" His words trailed off at the sudden realization of what she was trying to tell him, hit him hard. "Tea…did he…"

She couldn't meet his eyes, feeling so ashamed.

His arms tightened around her waist solidly as he deepened the embrace. Now it was his turn to desperately need something to hold onto, to focus on her and love her, in order to control the raging temper that was threatening to explode within him. It wasn't impossible for him to find and kill her father before sunrise, in fact it was so realistic that he was actually tempted to do it…but she needed him to be by her side, and by her side he would remain for as long as willed it. "I swear that I'll never let him touch you ever again…or let anyone else ever hurt you in such a way ever again," he whispered darkly, sending pleasurable chills up her spine.

She flung herself out of his arms, releasing new tears as she gazed up remorsefully into his own startled one, before shaking her head. "I'm not worthy," she whispered. "I'm not…"

His eyes widened in shock, "Tea! Don't say-"

She shook her head vigorously, swishing her hair back and forth. "No Yami, its true…I'm unclean and even lower than my father!" she cried, taking a small step away from him, feeling a break in her walled up emotions. "I'm…I'm exactly what James called me! A whore! The whore of Domino City! I have slept with so many guys – guys that are just like my father! Guys that I knew would wake up and leave me in the morning but did it anyway, because I was just that pathetic! Any guy that offered it to me, I took up on…I'm so disgusted with myself even now…I've let guys use me…because I was too weak to fight them off…weak physically and emotionally…you deserve-"

His lips smothered her words as he dashed forward, once again wrapping his powerful and strong arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground as he kissed her with just about everything he had. Her sweet and delicious taste drove him wild with excitement, as did the feeling of her body perfectly molded against his, and the overwhelming rush of need between them intensified. He loved her…and he needed her to know that.

Breaking away from the kiss, he cupped her face gently and stared into her eyes. "Tea?"

"Yes Yami?" She asked in a quiet whisper, still dazed from their electrifying, first kiss.

"Don't ever degrade yourself in such a way ever again," he said warmly, stroking the side of her face tenderly.

"But Yami-"

"Shhh…you are not a whore, or a slut…or whatever the hell it is that people call it nowadays," he said as he wiped away the last remainders of her tears, while still holding her face. "Do you know what I see, when I look at you right now?"

She shook her head slowly, swallowing hard.

He smiled at her tenderly… "I see a beautiful, beautiful girl…who has so much love to give and had received none in return. I see a girl that in the past, has been taken for granted and mishandled by a couple of spineless lowlifes and jerks that had absolutely no idea of what they had… A girl that from the very first minute I laid my eyes on, haunted my mind, and refused to allow me to think of anything else…a girl that I would sell my soul to be with, and should anything happen, to her, my life would cease meaning."

"Yami!" She gasped, feeling his words tug at her heart.

He leant down and eagerly pressed his lips against hers, once again cradling her in his arms as he lifted off the weight of the world from her shoulders. The pair felt an icy cold wind wrap around them as Yami, lifted her from the ground and used his vampiric speed to transport them through the complex's double doors and right up to her front door, without her even realizing it, until he pressed her back up against its rough wood.

She suddenly became aware of the solid backing that she was pressed up against, and opened her eyes, shocked to see that they were inside. She broke the kiss with a small, confused gasp that earned a low chuckle from him. "Sorry about that, but you were still shivering, so I thought I'd bring this inside," he whispered giving her a 'Yugi wink' that proved that they were brothers after all.

She smiled up at him, "I'm impressed…you're pretty fast." He grinned down at her, before gently catching her lips in a gentle kiss.

"Come in…I won't take no for an answer," she whispered huskily, unlocking the door behind her and pulling him inside.

"Guess I have no choice then," he said through a smirk, stepping through the doorway and closing it behind him. She smiled up at him as relief settled over her at the revelation of the darkest part of her past had finally come to light, by someone who she knew she could trust and did with her life.

It was as though she saw him for the first time, taking in, just how mind-blowingly attractive he was, and how he had chosen her, out of all the more beautiful girls in Domino City, he had chosen to be with her…and here they were…all alone…just the two of them… The thought had her heart racing.

He gently brushed a few rebellious strands of hair away from her eyes, and stared down into them with controlled intensity that seemed to burn a hole deep within her soul. It was in that simple, yet powerful moment that she knew that she loved him…a confirmation that was definitely welcomed. His touch sent shivers of arousal coursing through her body, and she suddenly wanted to feel more…

'Take me – just take me,' she silently pleaded to him with her thoughts, the only place she ever dared to say anything intimate or passionate to him. She could have sworn she saw his eyes glow for a short second, before he reluctantly, having heard her thoughts, brought his lips to hers.

Although she had never been a stranger to kisses, she had only read about the explosive sensations that flamed through her the moment their lips touched, taking her completely by surprise. He bit down on her bottom lip gently, sliding his tongue over its surface before suckling on it. He was such a great kisser…

She felt the heat of his passion warm her as she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along his, finding him just as delicious as he looked. She pulled herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck a little roughly, feeling her body react positively to his.

Yami struggled for control of his own, as his body screamed for hers. He shuddered as she pressed up against him, feeling his control begin to slip. He had only meant to take things lightly between them, but that was slowly starting to brew into something less than innocent. He could feel his body heating with intensity and swelling in his lower regions as her body continued to mould perfectly into his.

Her skin felt hot against his, and before he knew it, an uncomfortable needy ache that was hard to ignore swelled below his belt line. He hastily broke the kiss, breathing heavily and with much effort pushed himself away from her, though the desire in his eyes was as evident as the fear in them. This was a very dangerous line to cross, though it pained him to resist.

"We shouldn't," he whispered huskily, attracting Tea even further to him. She breathed in heavily as she tried in vain to gain control over her body, which would have crumbled into a pathetic heap if he hadn't held it as securely as he did.

"Why?" She whispered breathlessly, her body both wanting and needing his.

"It's too dangerous," He whispered back softly, but deep down they both knew that no matter what, he wouldn't hurt her. There was no reason for him to hold back, which made it all that much harder to resist.

Something stirred within her then that she had never felt before, a powerful feeling that warmed her from within. She shook her head as a new spark of confidence pulsed through her, allowing her to go further than she had ever dreamed or dared. "Not when I'm with you Yami…"

_**[AN: Refer to chapter one where the rest of this scene plays out if you wanna ;-) ]**_

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**_Wow you made it! Now how was that for long? Yeah I agree – too long. However, there was a strategy in all this…you see, you're too tired to throw anything at me right now – hahaha! Yeah peeps! I really can fly! LOL.

**By the way the flashback originally wasn't going to feature in this chapter, as I thought it to be rather pointless and long, but after much persuasion from a certain sibling of mine, I wrote it in…I hope nobody minded it too much. Oh and one more thing about the flashback, the shed-scene was based on a true story, involving a brother and a sister actually…minus the diggers and desert of course.**

**I'd like to thank RazzBerrieCharm for allowing me to use her as a character in this chapter, I hope that I didn't offend her in anyway, and was able to catch some sort of essence that she was able to relate to in some way and I sincerely apologize if I didn't meet up to her standards.**

**I'd also like to thank you all for taking the time to read my hard work, I know that it was a lengthy process and I bow down to all of you! I really hope that you all enjoyed it, and that it wasn't a waste of your time, and I can't wait to hear your opinions.**

**However, as you all know, I like to involve all my readers with decisions regarding future chapters. So here's the scoop… I need a cute pet name for Yami to give to Tea; so does anyone have any good ideas?**

**And last but not least, there's going to be some steamy action for a mature audience in the next chapter…but it's a surprise. Mwahahahaha!**

**I have no idea when I'm going to be able to update again, as Christmas is around the corner. However, I'll do my best to get it to you as soon as possible, and I'd like to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas, till the next time I see you. Lots of loves and kisses… Sav.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Peace! Peace! Please don't kill me I enjoy life! **

**Hahahaha! Hey guys, I know it's been a long time since I've seen all of you, but I swear I wanted to be here! It's just that fate wasnt on my side this time and neither was time. Anybody that knows what colledge is like, knows that assignments are brutal and time consuming, and I like had ten of them to hand in, in a short period of time, which not only allowed me a little free time, but also damaged my creative streak, so I not only apologise for my lengthy absence, but also for this chapter, which I feel could have been so much better, but that would have taken me longer...I tried okay! **

**Anyway, i'd like to welcome our two new reviewers, you guys are so awsome, thanks for taking an interest in this story and for your kind, supporting words, I totally heart you guys! And I'd like to thank Razz for allowing me to use her character again and been on my side! I totally heart you too, and I'd also like to thank Toxcinity for allowing me to use her character, which you will meet shortly, and of course a big thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this story, because without you there'd be no point...and I'd like to thank my mom and dad, and uncle and...LOL**

**By the way, this chapter is going to allow you to get to know a little more about our beloved half-vampire Yami! Enjoy! **

**Rated: M! Not intended for children! As promised I added a lemon, for the sake of lemon! Warning sign included for sensitive reading...oh and swearing. **

**Disclaimer: Do we have to go over this again?**

**AN: Love you guys...(plz don't kill me)**

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Chapter 12

(AN: This is sung by Yugi as an intro - imagine happy country music, with a banjo solo, along with a fiddle)

Aint nothing I can do – aint nothing I say

The pain just won't fuckin' go away!

My head's all airy and abnormally light

Not a fucking clue, of what happened last night!

A drink or two and then I was gone

Now I feel like I was screwed by King Kong!

Can't say shit without a slur

And Ra damn the whole fuckin' world's a blur!

Aint nothing I can do, aint nothing I can say

But right now things –Are Not Okay!

Cuz while I'm here with a hangover from hell! ! !

My brother's getting laid by the Gardner girl!

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_Her father's angry and evil gaze held hers as her nightmare raged onward mercilessly, causing her body to subconsciously tremble in fear. There was no background scenery like most of her other dreams had had, only cold blackness that made her father's, pale and intimidating form, almost seem to glow. He appeared wherever she turned, surrounding and closing in on her…cornering her in the worst possible way. She wanted to scream out Yami's name, knowing that he was the only one that could save her, but her lips refused to move. She couldn't move, completely frozen in fear of him. She could only see, hear and worst of all…feel._

She gripped on her pillow tightly, breathing in rapid, shallow breaths, too caught up in her nightmare to register that she wasn't alone. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest, burying his face in her hair, while she slowly shifted into consciousness. For some strange reason, she felt warmer than on most mornings, though cool at the same time… Without opening her eyes, she breathed in deeply, allowing her to catch a familiar and intoxicating scent that practically had her squirming beneath its spell.

She felt his lips softly kiss the smooth flesh of her forehead and her starry jewel-like eyes, immediately fluttered open in surprise. It was the first time she had ever woken up in the arms of another, especially one that seemed to still feel the _same way about her_, as _he_ did, _the night before_.

He smiled down at her warmly, while propped up on his elbow and his head rested against a closed fist, his eyes seeming a shade to cooling lava and his dark caramel tan that seemed to glow. "Good morning love," he whispered huskily.

She felt a light blush burn on her cheeks, as a content smile curled onto her lips, her heartbeat accelerating to a hundred beats a second, before the butterflies, annoyingly, began to stir awake in the pit of her stomach. If there had ever been a moment she had ever imagined herself, to be in bed with an angel, this would have been it. Seeming to have read her mind, he lifted his arm from around her waist and gently stroked her pinkish cheek with a delicate gesture, his eyes warmly burning into hers.

"You're still here!" she whispered in amazement, her words sounding more like a question than a statement. "You…you didn't leave me?"

His smile widened as he gave her a firm nod, answering the obvious, which seemed to open the door to heaven in her eyes. Her starlit eyes grew larger as his words sunk in, which he found so mockingly adorable and had to fight back a grin. He tangled his fingers in her feather-soft hair, briefly going over his vivid memories of the night before, as he came up with a verbal answer to her question. "There is nowhere on this earth that I would have rather been, than right here beside you when you woke up."

Before either of them registered the other's movement, their lips met in a passionate lip lock, and her arms somehow managed to snake their way up his sides and wrap around his neck, pulling him down onto her, while the silky white sheet slid further down their exposed bodies. He released her the moment that she needed air, though couldn't quite help but sneak in a quick peck on a very sensitive spot that he had found on her neck during their second '_session'_.

She moaned softly as arousal once again began to overtake her body, which Yami instantly picked up on, and decided to stop his advances almost immediately, though not without reluctance. His body already craved her more than it craved blood, and he wanted nothing more than to initiate a _third round_…but if they were ever going get _out of bed_, he would have to stop thinking about what they could _do in bed_.

"We should probably get up now, huh?" She sighed; as she brushed away some of his lightning bolts that dared to stand in the way of his scarlet eyes. Her tone indicated that it was the very last thing that she wanted to do, and quite frankly, Yami felt the same way. If he really thought about it, there was no reason at all why they had to leave that warm and inviting bed, and instead lie in each other's arms and perhaps continue on from where they left off…

"Yeah, we probably should," he answered quickly, before his mind overtook his actions, as it led way to a _very appealing place_. He bent down to kiss her forehead gently, before making a move to get out of bed, when he felt a hand grip onto his shoulder, which halted him instantly.

She gave him a suggestive smirk, before lifting herself up against him and breathily whispered in his ear, "Let's go for a shower."

_Oh_ the thoughts that ran through his head at those five little words that practically had his body burning in anticipation. He wondered briefly if she had even noticed that his skin had just jumped a few degrees higher than what it had been, but only briefly, because her seductive suggestion had played the right, _brainwashing_, tune on his one-tracked mind. There was no way in hell that he could resist her or pass up on her offer, _being a gentleman and all of course. _He smirked mischievously to himself as his arms automatically began to wrap themselves around their designated locations on her body and he powerfully lifted her up into his arms, while she giggled in delight.

"You don't need to ask me twice!" he whispered in her ear menacingly as he carried her to the bathroom…

(-** Lemon Warning **-)

Tea felt her back been pressed up against the cool white tiles of the shower wall, before she felt Yami's lips pressed up against hers. His hands were rested on her hips, stroking circular patterns on her dry skin as their tongues fought a fierce battle for dominance. Tea could feel herself getting wet as her body ached in that familiar pleasurable way, and wanted to skip the foreplay and get right to the point…but Yami had other ideas.

Breaking away from the kiss, he began to attack her throat with gentle nibbles and pecks, each of which caused an electrical spark to course through her body, which excited her further. He purposely took his time in finding the sweet spot on her neck and when he did, she almost crumbled in his arms.

Taking her revenge, Tea pressed herself up against him, teasingly rubbing up against his hardening length, which caused him to shudder, before tightening her grip around his neck. She felt his body tense as waves of pleasure travelled through his body, and hit where it counted. He grunted lowly through clenched teeth, resting his head on her shoulder while she trailed rough kisses along his collarbone.

'_You are not going to win this!' _She vowed challengingly in her mind, unknowing of his ability to read it.

'_Wanna bet?' _He smirked against her skin, excited by the challenge she had set.

Yami pulled back from her slightly and caught her lips in a heated kiss, sliding his tongue along her bottom lip before she met him with her own. He leaned into her while reaching out and turned on the hot water tap. Water sputtered and spat out the showerhead, before finally cascading down onto them in silver streams. He could no longer keep his hands to himself, and roamed over her wet skin freely, entranced by the erotic feel and desire it whelmed up in him.

His touch held an electric burning sensation that set off mini-orgasmic pulses through her body, and it wasn't long before her breath caught in her throat as the ache became unbearable. The falling water seemed to intensify their pleasures, which Yami decided to take advantage of.

He explored her thigh as he lowered his hand, making his way to her entrance at a tortuously slow pace, but slow enough for Tea to realise what he was doing. He slowly massaged her entrance without fully entering her, allowing her to experience the pre-pleasures of it, which was slowly pushing her over the edge. She spread her legs a little further apart to allow him more access, to which he gladly complied with by slipping in a finger that was immediately confronted by tight walls that aimed to trap and hold him.

She moaned loudly at the intense feeling of it, which caused yet another intense spike of arousal in Yami, who had been nearing his edge for quite a while now…perhaps the foreplay was a bit much. They needed each other and they needed each other now!

Almost as though the roles had changed between them, Tea seemed to know what he was thinking and yanked him upwards, hastily crashing her lips against his. He picked her up and held her securely into place, while she wrapped her legs around his waist. Every touch seemed to set them off, especially the feeling of their skin sliding against the other, heated by their passion rather than the water.

Knowing that she was reaching her limit, Yami slowly thrust himself into her, gasping when he felt her walls clamp around him in a tight grip. Tea growled in content as she gripped on to his shoulders even tighter than before, mentally begging him to hasten his pace. Yami was all too willing, and immediately thrust in and out of her, in rapid paces, earning moans and growls from both of them as the intensity of their orgasms built up to an overwhelming level.

"Faster!" Tea gasped, her hands clenching and unclenching, as the pressure of their lovemaking continued to intensify. "Fas…oh…god…Yami!" she panted, dragging her nails across his back, as she began to reach her climax.

He began to lose his control over himself and began to thrust into her a lot more harder, so much that her body slid up and down the wall, bobbing up against him, which just seemed to turn him on more. He growled as he felt her walls clamp around him in a death-grip, which released her orgasm, and in doing so caused him to climax as well.

Red hot, soaring pleasure fired through their bodies, seeming to intertwine and mould with the other's, as they gripped on to each other for support and rode out their pleasure. Tea saw stars as her body calmed, but the effects of her climax refused to leave and continued to pulse through her body, while Yami struggled to _function_. He breathed in gasps, trying to calm his body down by concentrating on the water that was now thundering down on his back and of course making sure that she didn't fall…trying to think of anything but how fantastic their sex had been.

Panting heavily, Tea pulled Yami's face to hers, kissing him deeply before hesitantly pulling away. "Thank you," she whispered.

**(Safe to read)**

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_His low whimper echoed off the tomb's walls and recoiled back to him in an almost mocking gesture, reflecting his weakness to him as though shown through a mirror in the ceiling. Yugi was only two years old, a toddler in the eyes of a human, but the vampires saw him differently, especially his father, who demanded that he never showed weakness…even if he was practically just a newborn. _

_He could not cry, for tears were a sign of weakness, and he could never show or ever allow himself to be afraid, because vampires feared nothing, and considered fear to be the worst sign of weakness_ _of all…but Yugi was afraid and he wanted to cry, a fatal combination in which his father might have easily found an excuse to kill him for. _

_His fears were childish, but at the age of two when the world was still anew and alien, his fear of literally stepping out of his comfort zone was frightening. Unlike his talented brother Yami, who had been gifted with a natural athletic ability, which allowed him to learn to walk much faster than the average newborn, Yugi found the act to be increasingly difficult and scary. There was just something so terrifying about rising above the ground on two tiny little legs that barely held up his weight, and splitting them apart as an attempt to move forward, risking a nasty fall onto the solid ground that would most definitely hurt…_

_He was an incredibly late developer in the art of walking for his kind, an early sign that he was weak in his physical development. It also didn't help his situation, when Yami had not only mastered walking, but had caught up in his speech and showed signs of strength time and time again, which left Yugi practically in his older twin's shadow. _

_He whimpered again, but this time kept his volume low and inaudible as to remain completely inconspicuous to the dark world around him that secretly found him unworthy to live, when he felt a tiny, but firm grip on his shoulder. He spun his gaze around to look up into the crimson eyes that mirrored his, filled with curious warmth and pure childish innocence that seemed to hold a huge question mark in them. He cocked his head to the side slightly, staring deeply within his younger brother's eyes._

"_What's wrong Yugi?" he asked in a soft voice that had an amazing way of calming him down. _

_Yugi blushed and looked away shyly while he brought his knees up against his chest. Even then Yami behaved more like an adult than a young child…and even then he was able to literally stand taller than him. His presence only made Yugi feel that more inferior. _

"_I can't do it…I can't walk," he whispered sadly, his lip quivering. _

_Yami shifted slightly, still keeping a firm grip on his shoulder as a small smile spread across his lips. "Of course you can," he stated confidently, "Its easy!"_

_Of course it was easy for Yami, almost everything he had ever attempted had been, but Yugi always had to try extra harder. He glanced nervously at his short, weak appearing legs, terrified on having to rely on them to keep him upright without falling. "No…it's not!" he growled._

"_Why?" Yami asked innocently._

"_Because I'm…" Yugi couldn't say it. He couldn't tell Yami that he was afraid, if he did, he would be considered weak and he couldn't be entirely sure of what his father would do with him. He always wondered what his father would have done with him if he had known…would he have really killed him? Perhaps, but how could such a young boy, even one with such an older maturity level, really know and understand the ways of the dark world to which he had been born, especially if he had spent such a short time in it?_

_However, his final words were not needed, because Yami, even though he didn't have the ability to read minds back then, still knew what Yugi was thinking and why he was afraid. Yugi felt Yami release the grip he had had on his shoulders, only to feel them grab his wrists. He snapped his gaze worryingly back into Yami's confident eyes, his mouth open to protest. _

"_You can do it Yugi. I'm going to prove that to you right now!" Yami smiled, while he began to tug his brother upward. _

_Yugi gasped as his body lifted from the floor, frightened that Yami would suddenly lose his grip and allow him to fall backward. "No! Stop! You're-" he coughed and sputtered, his eyes darting from side to side in fear, unaware of the iron grip that he was been held in. _

"_Yugi?" Yami asked him calmly, catching the smaller boy's attention._

_He gulped and risked a tiny glance at Yami's smooth and relaxed face, smiling encouragingly at him while holding a patient look in his eyes. _

"_As long as I hold onto you, you're not going to fall…I've got you. Now-" Yami took a slow, but steady step backwards, keeping his hold on Yugi strong and unbreakable, "Take a step with me…we'll walk together…and we'll walk together until you can walk on your own."_

_Yugi gasped in fear, not liking this idea at all. "B-but, what if I can't? What if I…what if I can't ever…" he realized that he was dangerously close to sobbing, but his older twin's comforting and supportive hold on him tightened, soothing the overwhelming feelings that were building up inside him. _

_Yami smiled at him, practically melting away his younger twin's fears with his warm scarlet gaze, standing tall and mighty even though he was barely a few inches from the ground himself, basking in his own inner light and strength that no vampire nor human had ever had in their entire lifetime, fulfilling his role perfectly as Yugi's big brother… "It won't matter, because I'll always be there for you to walk with."_

Yugi's eyes fluttered open slowly as his old dreamlike memory came to an end.

Memories about their childhood were hardly ever happy ones, and those that were, were often extremely hard to relive. Even though the twins were forced to grow up at an incredibly quick rate, a part of them was still undeveloped and naïve, meaning that they were part child in some ways…and adults in others. Yami however, took on a role that Yugi never really appreciated until they were much older, and even then he never truly acknowledged it. While their _father_ ruled his vampire kingdom, he totally ignored and left them to practically raise themselves, and remained distant through their growth, only truly taking an interest in them once they had reached puberty and their unique powers had begun to surface.

Yami however, took on his father's role, and technically raised Yugi single-handedly in ways that their father as well as their assigned 'Raisers,' could not. He taught Yugi how to walk, and did indeed keep his promise to stay by his side until he could do it by himself, which required a lot more patience than Yugi could never and would never have. He helped him with the learning areas that he struggled with, taught him how to play games, and encouraged certain values that most fathers would give their children, such as guys don't hit girls, never take anything that doesn't belong to you…and some other things that made up an incredibly long list.

Yami was his protector and guider when things got bad. He was always the one that Yugi could talk to about anything and everything without fear of being judged or killed. He was the one that Yugi looked up to…literally and figuratively…Which is why it had made the _choice_ all that much harder to make.

Now…three years later, he found himself lying on his back, on a _Ra-should-forsake-and-send-to-hell_ lumpy couch in Yami's tiny living room, staring hard at the stained ceiling, as his mind glossed over the many disabled pieces of thoughts that floated around his fogged up mind, while it pounded and ached as a consequence of his boozed-up state from the night before.

'_Ra damn alcohol! I'll never fucking drink again!'_He moaned and whined with his voice stuck in his swollen throat. He knew, however, that his vow was meaningless. Especially considering the fact that he had vowed the same thing repeatedly for the last four years.

He couldn't remember much of what had happened from the night before, which was strange to him. He knew that he had only had four to five drinks…maybe six, but not nearly enough to make him totally zonked…after all, his first experience was still practically clear in his mind, even after having gulped down the entire bottle and that was pretty hardcore!

'_So what the fuck?'_

Not to mention he was a vampire now…things were different. It should not have been that easy to get totally wasted, but by the look of his partly blank memory that took place within a short few hours, it seemed it was. He scratched the side of his face in habit while he pondered over the matter, noticing for the first time that there were peculiar marks on his wrists and forearms that looked like…carpet burn?

Examining the back of his hands further, he discovered grey fluff lodged beneath his fingernails…and wondered for a short moment about it, soon discovering that he was unable to recall even the faintest bit of memory for an explanation. However, from what he was able to sum up, he knew that he had been at a club…and that he had been drinking…Yami had a standoff that he had found really amusing…and merciless brown eyes…

Those eyes…who did they belong to? He couldn't remember, without his head throbbing. There was definitely something familiar about them as well as unforgettable…but well…he seemed to have forgotten anyway. Gently pulling himself up, he began to feel odd aches and pains in weird places on his body, the kind that's stiff, but bearable.

There were partly healed cuts on his body, which he had no way of knowing on how they had gotten there, and the same hand that he had been using to scratch with, gently darted over the swollen burning skin around his eye…and ugly bruise no doubt.

Although he knew next to nothing about what had taken place the night before, he did know one thing…he hadn't fed properly enough. His condition was a testimony to that, as his body should have healed immediately after his injuries were inflicted, or that at least while he slept, yet there was still much that needed repair. Jerkily, he managed to climb off the couch and headed over to Yami's fridge where he kept his stash, opting for the 'A' blood groups today.

His eyes scanned the shelves as a small smile spread to his lips. "Neat as always."

The dark bloody bags were stacked neatly in an orderly fashion, with other foodstuffs carefully stored around them. Yugi took note of the apple and cranberry juice bottles, his brother's personal favourites, as well as a large carton of grapes and strawberries. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but would definitely startle a babysitter…he had to grin at that thought.

Yami seemed to be on a short supply on the 'A' type, so he grabbed a B-positive pack and shut the freezer door, noticing for the first time that there was a cat magnet on its door. He humph-ed, before digging out a straw from one of the drawers and plucked it through the plastic's surface, while staring at the magnet with a cocked eyebrow. Yami took that Ra-damn-awful thing everywhere he went…and he couldn't understand why, it wasn't even cute!

He sucked in a small sip of the dark liquid and clicked his tongue at the delicious, coppery taste. Not too bad…but not all that appetizing either. He rolled his eyes up at the clock that stood posted at the top of the doorway, and almost choked when he read the time. It had been barely an hour since dawn!

No wonder he felt crap! He obviously hadn't slept long at all! Growling irritably he reached back into the freezer and plucked out another bag. "Fuck it! I'm never drinking again!"

* * *

Yami breezed through his front door with a cheerful smile plastered on his lips. His mood practically glowed in a golden light around his body, as his thoughts kept circulating around the events that had taken place in the last few hours, and all he could think about was Tea.

He had experienced something with her that he had never felt before, and reliving the sensations of their fiery passion proved to be rather _dangerous_. With a stupid grin on his face, he walked into the living room, too caught up in his own thoughts to realize that Yugi was no longer where he left him.

"What the hell is this? No good morning Yugi? No hello? Nothing? And you ask me where I was raised!" Yugi muttered bitterly from across the room, stopping Yami dead in his tracks.

He turned his gaze to his shorter twin, noticing that he was in the same armchair he had sat in when he had sadistically raped, tortured and murdered three young, beautiful girls. If he looked closely enough, he could still see the faint outline of some of the blood splatters on its green corduroy fabric that hours of intensive scrubbing had not been able to erase completely. He felt sorry for those girls whose cases would eventually go into the Cold Case Files or whose deaths would labeled undetermined or accidental, once their bodies were found in the shallow graves near the river that flowed through Domino Park… that is assuming if they were ever found.

"Well, well, well…Sleeping Fugly seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the couch this morning…you really look like shit," Yami commented dryly, noticing a hint of dark bags beneath his brother's eyes against his abnormal pale complexion that seemed to sag a little. He also noticed the huge purplish bruise that covered most of the skin around his right eye, and fought back a grin.

"No shit huh?" Yugi scoffed sarcastically with a smirk, before lifting himself up from the chair. "How come every time you get laid, I wake up with a hangover and black eye?"

Yami gave him a startled look, "How the hell did you-"

"Just saw that huge Ra-damn hickey on your neck there," Yugi said as he pointed to the right side of Yami's neck.

He gasped and spun around to face the hallway mirror, cursing under his breath in Egyptian, while yanking back his jacket's collar to get a better look at his skin, his mind wildly going over how many people he had come into contact with that morning that might have seen… …

There was nothing there…

Yugi began to give in to fits of snorted chuckles, to which Yami raised his eyes murderously into his younger brother's eyes. "You were just fucking with me weren't you?" he growled in annoyance, snapping his collar back with a stiff and harsh gesture, not at all amused by his prankster brother.

"Yip! And you totally gave me the reaction I was hoping for, just like Seto did when I played the underwear prank on him," Yugi chuckled, before the memory of their cousin's humiliation replayed over in his mind and he submitted to a series of bellyaching laughter that sounded so much like his old human laugh that Yami temporarily forgot that he actually had wanted to strangle him.

He remembered the prank well, as it had been rather creative and effective in a sense that Seto had been totally caught off guard. After having been Yugi's victim so many times, Seto had come to learn how to deflect them and avoid them, or sniff them out before he actually became a victim…but he had no way of preventing this one, which is why Yugi and Yami referred to it as 'Prank of Seto's Demise.' _It sounded better in Egyptian though_.

Basically, Yugi got hold of a pair of a woman's leopard-printed underwear from a porn shop that was branded from the 'Hustler' merchandise, but at a size that seemed large enough to fit their extremely uptight cousin. The next step of his evil plan, was to write Seto's name inside it, before leaving it out in the corridor near his room, for all to see and observe…much to Seto's great embarrassment, who only realized what was going on, when confronted about it, several hours later, by Aknadin!

Yami chuckled along with Yugi, remembering how the dingy garment had become the hottest topic amongst the vampires within the tomb, much to Seto's annoyance. However, he flinched when the memory of how pissed off their cousin had become, soon after putting two and two together and coming up with – Yugi – and was engulfed with a deadly combination of irritation and Egyptian-rage that he snapped Yugi's collarbone into two clean pieces. In all honesty and fairness, Yugi did deserve it…but still.

He looked away from Yugi for a minute as he walked into his kitchen, briefly remembering his reason for coming back, no longer laughing, but instead smiling sadly. Yugi was a different person now than he had been back then, but Yami was still glad in a way that his prankster side of him hadn't died along with his other _loveable_ qualities that had once made him so human. Perhaps there was still a little bit of his brother still alive.

"Soooooo? How was it?" Yugi asked suddenly as he walked over the small round table near the window, which had cardboard, neatly taped, over the glass to keep the sunlight out.

"How was what?" Yami asked as he snapped out of his trance.

"The sex, dumb ass!" Yugi growled while rolling his eyes, as though his question had been the most obvious thing in the world. Sometimes he really wondered if his brother could be so bland.

"Oh hell no! I'm not discussing my sex life with the likes of you," Yami stated, a little unnerved by his brother's bluntness.

"…That good huh?" Yugi smirked mischievously, taking another sip from his blood filled bag, through a straw.

"Oh just shut up!" Yami growled irritably, feeling a slight blush burn on his cheeks and suddenly became very interested in finding a can-opener in one of the cabinets.

Yugi laughed at his evident discomfort, "Oh come on Yami, it's not like you were a virgin and just popped your cherry damn it! You don't need to get all embarrassed about having an awesome fucking time!"

"I'm not embarrassed…it's just that you're the last person I could ever have this conversation with," Yami muttered sourly, though to Yugi it sounded more uncomfortable. Truth was that Yami **did** want to talk about it, in fact he was dying to let it all out of him, but he honestly didn't think that Yugi knew anything about passionate love making or the connection it made between two people that were so madly in love with one another…in all truth, Yami didn't think Yugi knew anything other than the pleasure sex gave, which was why it was pointless talking to him.

"Last person! Who the fuck are you talking to? Compared to you, I'm a frikin expert!" Yugi growled out, sounding deeply offended by Yami's words.

That was no lie. Yugi had been with a lot more girls than he had. Before Tea, Yami had only slept with two other girls, the first being Dendera of course, and the second was a slave girl that he had shamefully used on the rebound thanks to Yugi's influence. However…an odd and random thought came to mind, which he voiced without thinking. "When exactly was your first time?"

The question caught Yugi totally off guard as well as Yami, who silently cursed himself for being so careless. Even though Yugi was a total privacy invader and had no respect for anyone's personal life whatsoever, Yami had always maintained a kind of, 'if he wants to tell me, he'll tell me,' code that stopped him from prying into unwelcome territory. Yet for some reason, Yugi's eyes held a certain glint of what seemed like curiosity in itself, mixed with delight and mischief.

"You mean…you don't know?" he asked in a semi-shocked tone, his scarlet eyes blazing.

Yami shook his head, trying to think back several years ago for a time where Yugi may have started to change or show signs of faltering innocence. Although he had only truly known that Yugi was no longer a virgin after seeing him with Dendera, he had for some reason always felt that it had been way, way before that terrible incident. It was strange actually, but although they told each other everything, it seemed that as they had grown up, secrets were definitely been kept from the other, especially from Yugi's side…

"Shit…well that that sure as hell explains a lot, I always thought you knew," Yugi said, giving a small, but strange chuckle, which Yami could not identify. He scratched the side of his face as he usually did when he thought back in time, while his eyes glazed over in what was probably the closest look to evident concentration as Yugi would ever get close to.

"You…thought I knew?" Yami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah…I mean it was pretty obvious, I didn't think you could miss it, and besides I totally reeked of sex and sweat that day too," Yugi grinned, being crude as always.

Yami grimaced at the idea, glad that it hadn't been that obvious back then, "I don't ever recall…that."

"Yeah well…it was a long time ago I guess," Yugi stated softly with an odd, unidentifiable look in his large red eyes.

"Uh…how long?" Yami inquired curiously.

"Umm…about five years ago," Yugi answered casually while nodding his head slowly, his eyes holding an almost waiting look within them, almost as though he was waiting for Yami to figure it out by himself.

Yami however couldn't get over the first fact that Yugi had produced. _14! That was how old Yugi was! _

"Okay…who?" he asked out of pure curiosity.

He grinned sheepishly without meeting his older twin's eyes and bit down on his lip to stifle his nervous laughter. "Uh…well that's an interesting story actually…I have no idea."

Yami cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean you have no idea?"

"Well you see…I was with Mahado and Shadi…"

Ah! That explained everything! Mahado and Shadi, his father's high and loyal priests…and also the renowned horndogs of the universe. The worst possible influences that his father could have ever found for his youngest son. Yami now knew exactly what day Yugi was referring to, and remembered it quite well, as it was their fifth-forced-hunting experience with the older vampires. The brothers were separated from each other as their hunting party split into two groups. Yami was pulled into Seto's group, which also consisted of Isis and Aknadin, whereas Yugi was pulled into Mahado and Shadi's group. Yami still remembered worrying constantly about Yugi's wellbeing that entire night, never having actually being separated from him before.

"Go on," he encouraged, trying to keep himself in check.

"Well you see…They took me to this place on the outskirts, can't really remember where or what it was, but I'm pretty sure it was a human-brothel, to uh…_grocery shop_… I remember there were a lot of rooms along this firkin long tunnel way, and it was so dark in there that I could barely see a thing, and I'm pretty sure that the humans in there couldn't see shit either. But anyways, Mahado…well he…" Yugi paused in his explanation, seeming to think carefully rethink his words before giving an uncomfortable glance to the side of the room and continuing with his story in a curiously suspicious way. "…got me interested in girls. Long story short I ended up in a room with a girl I couldn't see and accidentally fucked her, then came back home, saw you and then went to bed. That's it."

Yami blinked, without giving a comment, unable to voice his thoughts, which he imagined was Ra's way of censoring them. In the back of his mind he wondered why Yugi had rushed through his story in the end, which was genuinely considered an act to cover something up…which made Yami wonder what his little brother had to hide.

"Accidentally?" he asked at last.

Yugi closed his eyes and grimaced, as though it was the last thing he wanted to answer. "I…couldn't make out what she looked like exactly, especially her face…but I could make out some bits of her body…and well she was…" he breathed out a quiet whistle, "You have no idea how I tried to resist okay…but you know what it was like back then!"

As much as Yami hated to admit it…he did. They were just like any of the other young and healthy teenage boys, with raging hormones plaguing their existence, but the only difference was they were also had vampiric hormones raging through them at the same time.

"So what? You just raped her?" Yami asked in a strained, emotionless voice, which completely lacked surprise.

"What? No! Well…not exactly…like I said, it was an accident," Yugi protested softly, though he didn't even seem to be able to convince himself of his own testimony.

Yami rolled his eyes with irritation, yanking out the can-opener that he had finally found from a drawer, before slamming it shut, causing Yugi, who had yet to defeat his hangover-headache, to flinch. An accident? Is that how Yugi justified his actions to make them seem okay? If he wasn't so angry, he may have laughed at the bullshit that he was hearing. "Oh, of course, an accident! Well in that case, I guess it can't be called rape! Do enlighten me Yugi, on how this accident occurred then," he growled bitterly.

"I didn't know that I was compelling her…" Yugi whispered in a low voice that held such raw emotion that Yami had to look over his shoulder to double check that the words had come from him at all, and was shocked to see the haunted and distant emotion in his brother's eyes that refused to look into his and instead glared at the table. It was the first time since his transformation that Yami had ever seen him look so close to vulnerability that it scared him.

"What do you mean Yugi?" he asked in a softer tone, trying to keep in mind that Yugi was a brilliant actor and could have been playing another trick on him.

For a long while, Yugi didn't answer, but after taking a deep breath he replaced his softened exterior with one of his old, cocky and tough-guy ones. "Like I said, it was an accident. I didn't know that I had the ability to influence her actions. It happened too fast for me to realize what was going on…If I had known back then, I would never have done it, and as far as I'm concerned, it never happened…_because none of it was real_," he muttered bitterly, quickly looking away from Yami in an attempt to hide yet another strange emotion that was slowly taking place in his eyes.

Yami stared at Yugi for a long time before turning around and tending to his daily morning chore, by pulling out three unopened cans from the top cabinet above the sink. He now understood what had really happened that night, which automatically took his mind back a few years, when he discovered that he could read minds. It had been one of the scariest experiences he had ever gone through and often he almost felt as though he were on the brink of insanity. For several months, all he heard were voices inside his head, even when there was no one with him, which resulted in many sleepless nights and concentration difficulties.

Their powers had been rather scary discoveries when they first emerged from out of nowhere, and neither boy was prepared for it, as for some reason, this area of their transformation had never been mentioned to them. Yugi however, suffered a different kind of torment. Unlike Yami, he struggled to keep his thoughts to himself and nearly every single person, vampire and human, managed to get a glimpse at what he was thinking, often leaving him in very humiliating situations, as his power refused to say out of inquiring minds. However, because of this, he became emotionally stronger over the years, and although his power irritated him, it didn't destroy his ego…too much.

But… this power inflicted a different kind of emotional wound. What would it have been like to discover a new ability in such a way that revealed one of the most important memories you'll ever have for the rest of your life, was in the end…unreal? Sure, Yugi had always acted insensitive and openly exploited his perverted nature…but now that Yami thought about it, he only really started acting like that after that very night, which of course had not been too obvious at first. Was the reason behind that, because of his experience?

Perhaps Yugi should be grateful that his first time hadn't been as bad as his…or perhaps that was an unfair comment, either way, Yami could see that even as a supposing 'heartless-cold-killer' it still managed to affect him…_which was very, very human_. Perhaps…Yugi really was still in there somewhere.

'_Oh what the hell!' _

"It was awesome," Yami muttered lowly, breaking the silence as he slowly opened the first can.

Yugi lifted his eyes and gave Yami a confused look, which Yami could sense on the back of his head. "What was?"

Yami rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Last night!...Well actually early morning, but you get the idea."

Yugi's eyes widened in understanding and took on a mischievous glow that quickly replaced the tormented look that had once been present in them. "Once?"

Yami bit back a grin even though he knew Yugi couldn't see his face. "Uh…three times, actually."

Yugi gawked at Yami in amazement, his lips slowly forming into a grin. "Thrice? My, my…I didn't know that you had it in you…truth be told, after that last girl I thought you were gay."

Yami chose to ignore the last comment. "Yeah well…it _felt_ good."

Yugi smirked and swallowed back a chuckle. "You're not used to talking about things like this are you?

Yami growled lowly under his breath as a tinge of red lined his cheeks. Choosing to ignore him yet again, he began scooping the contents from his three opened cans into six little dishes, while Yugi watched on in quiet fascination.

Temporarily forgetting his previous question, he found himself unable to contain his curiosity any longer and finally asked, "What are you doing?"

Yami turned with a questioning look before following Yugi's gaze that was rested on the dishes. "Oh, you mean this?" he asked while forking in another glob of brown sludge. "I came back here to feed my cats."

Yugi glanced around the apartment, finding it to be rather vacant without a single cat in sight. "Uh…I don't see a cat."

"You will," was all he said, as he continued to scoop in the last of the meaty substance.

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; he had something much more important on his mind. "So…back to Tea…was she good?"

Yami stiffened at the question, clearly uncomfortable about discussing Tea in such a way. "Yugi…I'm not going to discuss her in such a way with you."

"Just answer me that – _pretty_ _please_!" he whined, before giggling, shifting his movement slightly in his chair, before catching an odd movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze to the side and noticed a furry black ball of mangled fluff emerge from the hallway, waddling along with stiff legs.

"Okay…yeah she was good…no…she was amazing!" Yami answered hazily with a concentrative frown, unable to fully express himself in words. He seemed to have given up after a few moments and began serving the many dishes that he had filled up with some type of meaty scented sludge that smelt rather good for cat food…

"Hmm…did you bite her?" Yugi asked curiously, which earned a low gasp from Yami.

"What? Ra no!" Yami gaped in horror, giving Yugi a comical look of shock and terror combined.

"Yeah okay…that may have freaked her out for your first time together, but in future you should really give it a try," Yugi advised wisely as he folded his arms behind his head, leaning back against the chair. He spotted more movement down the hall and widened his eyes in surprise as he took note of three more fluffy critters making their way towards them.

"Are you insane? No way!" Yami growled.

Yugi put his hands up as though to surrender, "Hey! Look, it's not like that okay; just hear me out for a sec. Last night, you had the urge to bite her right?"

Yami bit his lip, a little ashamed by that fact.

"Hey, it's perfectly natural and totally normal – and totally okay-"

"How? How is that okay!" Yami growled angrily, cutting Yugi off in mid sentence.

Yugi sighed deeply as though trying to regain some of his patience. "It's okay, because it's perfectly safe! It's a sexual urge not a feeding urge, meaning that you're not going to get hooked into a sudden frenzy and struggle to let go; it's actually just your body's way of demanding…uh…intensity. It just basically builds up into an explosive orgasm that won't stop until you release your fangs…and I'm sure you can imagine the rest by yourself."

As much as it sickened him to even imagine himself biting into Tea's neck…he had to admit, from what Yugi had described, the idea was appealing, but… "No! Not going to happen, thanks for the idea, but I will not put Tea at such a risk, even if you do consider it harmless."

"Suit yourself; just know your options for when you start to get bored," Yugi winked.

Yami smirked, knowing that he would never get bored of his beautiful goddess…

Several cats ran into the room for their late breakfast, meowing their unhappy complaints as they tucked into their meal, hardly acknowledging Yami or Yugi's presence at all. Yugi's eyes widened in shock, never having seen so many cats all together in one place before. "Dear Ra! How many of these fucking things do you have?"

Yami shrugged, "I don't own any of them, just feed them and live with them…there are about ten or twelve that are frequent boarders…but I'm not sure…I think there are about twenty though."

'_Twenty cats!' _Yugi thought in secret, staring wide eyed at the fur balls that were stuffing their faces. Yami must have been out of his fucking mind. He had always been more of a dog person, but then that was only if he had to pick an animal; he wasn't actually particularly fond animals at all…especially cats! He never understood what Yami found to be so attractive about them. Their fur stuck to you like glue and somehow always managed to suffocate you by getting into your nose, not to mention that they clawed and bit you for often, no apparent reason at all, and arrogantly thought they owned the world and doing you a favor by letting you live in it! No, he didn't like cats.

"Well anyway, I got to go," Yami announced, walking out the kitchen.

"Wait! What? Where?" Yugi asked, following after him.

"I told Tea I was going to drop her off at work, and then I've got a few things that I need to organize and a few errands to run," Yami informed him, digging into one of the drawers on his desk.

"Drop her off?" Yugi asked in confusion, before his eyes caught sight of the set of car keys that Yami yanked up, and gave him a knowing smirk. "Ohhh… well she's sure going to be surprised."

Yami grinned at him before walking over to his room and ruffled around in it, obviously changing his clothes.

"What time will you get back?" Yugi called out after him, fiddling with an interesting paperclip structure that Yami had obviously built out of boredom, one night or day, and added to it every now and again.

"Late!" Yami called back.

"How late?" Yugi asked before flicking at one paperclip, which tragically de-structured the entire thing, sending several paperclips splattering across the desk's surface. His eyes widened in regret and he bit his lip, quickly gathering all the pieces together again and attempted to try and recreate something that would at least resemble the old master piece. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"What?" Yami asked, emerging from the room while still slipping into his leather jacket.

"Uh!" Yugi spun around, hiding his destruction behind him, "Nothing! I was just…Wait a sec! How come you're doing errands during the day?"

Yami finally managed to shrug into his jacket and gave Yugi an amused look; "I need to start getting out of my nocturnal routine now that I'm with Tea, so I guess practice makes perfect."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Walk amongst the humans!"

Yami rolled his eyes in response. "Yugi, we used to do it all the time."

"Yeah but…it wasn't going to be permanent!"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because…" Yugi's voice trailed off as he thought about the words he was about to let slip. Now was not the time to have this conversation. He faked a defeated look and stared at Yami with pouting, puppy-like eyes, "You're not going to leave me here by myself all day are you?"

Yami raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk, "Yip! Why are you afraid of been left alone in this small apartment?"

"Would you stay if I said I was?" Yugi asked innocently with a wide smile.

"Nope, but don't let that stop you," Yami laughed, making his way toward the door.

"Ra you are such a clown! Ha-ha-ha! Seriously though, what the hell am I supposed to do while you gallivant around town?"

Yami shrugged, "I don't know…put my paperclip tower back together?"

Yugi grinned sheepishly, "Is that what that thing was?" Obviously, Yami was more observant than Yugi had previously realized. "But seriously! I'm bored already…and there's nothing entertaining in this shit hol-uh-place."

Yami rolled his eyes; Yugi could be such a baby sometimes… "Hmm…" That gave him an idea. He walked back over to his desk, glancing at the large pile of paperclips that had once been stacked on top of each other to create a tower, and shook his head while sifting through some of the drawer's contents. He could feel Yugi's curious gaze on him until he found the objects that he was looking for. "Here!"

Yugi eyed the things that Yami had placed on the desk… "What the hell is-"

"That is a Barbie and Ken coloring-in-book, and that is a box of wax crayons…the rainbow edition…and that over there is a sketch pad for you to draw on. Have fun," Yami grinned as he made his way over to the door and pulled it open, while Yugi shot him several dirty looks.

"Don't you have porn?" He called after him, to which the only reply he received was the soft bang of the door been shut. He guessed that he would have to take that as a no.

He glanced at the objects that lay neatly sprawled out on the desk's surface, feeling slightly uncomfortable by Barbie's large blue eyes that seemed to lifelessly stare into his. He decided that he would worry about why Yami had such a thing in his possession later, since a vengeful tactic began to formulate in his mind.

He would show Yami, the effect of loneliness, since his older twin brother thought it was so funny earlier. Who knew…maybe Yami would find this funny too.

* * *

Tea had just changed into the third outfit she had tried on that morning, hoping that third time was in deed the charm. Luckily for her it was, and she quickly went on to fixing her hair that was still damp from the shower. She hoped that her turquoise buttoned up shirt brought out the colour in her eyes like the many compliments she had received over the past had promised. Yami hadn't got back yet, and although she knew it was pathetic of her, she was still worried.

Backing a few paces away from the mirror, she gave her reflection a critical observation, making sure that everything was as perfect as she could get it, and then went on to gathering her purse and keys, when she heard a knock on the door.

'_That has to be him!_' She thought, darting excitedly to the door before swinging it open; only to be greeted with an unfamiliar smiling face that caught her by surprise. "Ha-uh…"

"Good morning ma'am, package delivery!" The friendly face of the stranger beamed, his hazel eyes glowing lively. He was holding a gigantic white cardboard box that looked rather heavy, with no stickers or any indication of what was inside or where it had come from.

"Oh…uh, sure. I mean thanks…just bring it in and put it over there," she said shakily, pointing in the direction of the living room in the corner where it would be out of the way for the time being. She watched him move over to the side of the room and gently lay the package down. "Thanks…rather early to be out delivering things," she stated in an attempt to lighten the mood, while she signed for it, holding the clipboard rather awkwardly.

"Tell me about it, but that's what you get when your boss is from the Earth's core," he joked as he took the clipboard back and stepped out through the doorway. "Enjoy your day miss."

"Likewise!" she called after him, smiling softly to herself at his friendliness, before shutting the door and turning to the unusual, mysterious package that stood up against the wall on the other side of the room. Wondering what it was she made her way over to it, sliding her hand along the top that was taped shut, feeling the smooth surface beneath her fingertips. A strange knot formed in her stomach as though something was telling her to be wary of what was inside. She was about to pull back some of the tape, when a strange but pleasant sounding car-hooter honked a tune from outside.

She walked up to the window curiously, peering down at the street below and gasped when she laid sight on the vehicle that was parked there. It was a very sleek and shiny model, with a velvet night-black finish that glittered in the sun, and looked like it was a convertible too. However, in spite of the shock at seeing such a fancy sports-car parked in her neighborhood, she was more shocked to see its owner, who leant up against it coolly with his arms folded over his chest, one leg crossed over the other, and dark ruby eyes staring up directly into hers with a small smirk across his lips…

"I'll be right down," she said in a normal voice, wondering if he would be able to hear her from all the way down there and was shocked to see him wink in response. She smiled back at him and quickly darted to get her things, dating a vampire was sure going to make life a lot interesting…but dating Yami…was sure as hell going to make it worthwhile.

She was right about the fact that it was a convertible, but once she got closer to it, she noticed that it wasn't entirely black, but instead a really dark shade of blue. He smiled as he held the passenger's side door open for her like a true gentleman, allowing her to give him a quick 'hello' kiss, before closing it after her and making his way over to the driver's side. The inside smelt clean and fresh with a delicious combination of leather and vanilla, and the seats were unbelievably comfortable in spite of the car's typically modern appearance.

"This is an awesome car!" Tea exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm glad you like it!" Yami responded, secretly relieved as he rounded the corner that led out of her neighborhood.

An odd little thought suddenly struck her then and she gave him a curious look, before forcibly shoving it away, afraid that it would have a backfiring effect on her, which she couldn't afford at this point in time. However, Yami noticed it and couldn't resist asking. "Hey? You okay?"

"Oh! Yes, of course," she answered a little too quickly, which blew her cover. He gave her that knowing look of his that seemed to read into her soul and she knew that he knew something was up. She sighed sheepishly and looked away to hide her guilty blush. "I was just…thinking."

"Mmm-hmm?" He mumbled, with his eyes on the road, but his attention focused on her.

She knew that he would never force the answer out of her, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to withhold anything he wanted from her. Sighing in defeat and against her better judgment, she forced herself to voice her thoughts. "I…uh…just realized that you know a lot about me…but I don't know that much about you…I mean I know your secret, but…but I don't know…" The words weren't coming fast enough, and suddenly she was left with blanks. '_Oh crap_,' had she messed up?

He smiled at her reassuringly, which immediately relaxed and eased her tension. "Hmm…well I better fix that then. How about tonight you and I go out for a pleasant evening, where you can get to know as much as you like about me?"

"Really?" She asked excitedly.

He nodded his head and winked, "Of course, but on one condition."

"And what would that would be?"

He smirked at her, "It'll be a surprise."

The young lovers walked in through the jewelry store's door and were immediately greeted by the sweet chime of the doorbell, which hung from above its frame. Mr. Hardwick seemed stunned to see the pair at first, but his expression immediately warmed at the sight of his darling Tea.

"Bollocks! It's my trusty right hand girl! Where on earth have you been love? The store's just not the same without you," he grinned brightly in his usual warm welcoming self.

Tea giggled in relief, glad that her friendly employer was not angry about her one day of absence. "Sorry Mr. Hardwick, I was…uh…"

"No need to be sorry love, the kinds of illnesses going on around these days are rather frightening and odd to say the least, so really love, if you don't feel up to work today, take the day off and go get some rest!" Mr. Hardwick offered kindly, his wrinkled face practically glowing with warmth.

Tea smiled back, "It's okay Mr. Hardwick sir, I'm all healthy again, but I would like you to meet someone, this is Yami," Tea introduced with a gesture, smiling encouragingly at her confident boyfriend, who wore an equally friendly smile that matched his eyes.

"It's nice to meet you," Yami greeted politely, giving the old man a firm handshake.

"Very nice to meet you too young man! An honor actually, to meet one of my adorable right hand girl's friends," Mr. Hardwick responded kindly.

Tea smiled sheepishly when Yami gave her a wink. She opened her mouth to speak, when the store's front doors burst open. A flash of perfectly straight blonde hair flashed in the corner of her gaze, and it didn't take more than a second for Tea to realize who it was…Serena!

"Good morning!" her sickly sweet (_and totally put on_) voice rang out, like church bells on the day of a wedding, catching everyone's attention…including Yami's.

Tea carefully stole a glance at Yami's reaction to the presence of the former, most popular and beautiful girl in Domino High, but his expression remained blank and unreadable. She didn't know whether that was good or bad, but it was hard not to feel completely inadequate next to the girl who had only the best of bodily features. She was already jealous.

"Good morning Miss Markesan, what can I do for you today?" Mr. Hardwick greeted quickly, maneuvering around Yami so that he could see her more clearly, but her focus was not on him. Instead her blue eyes were locked on Yami in a predatory gaze and a very flirtatious smile curled on her lips.

"Well, well, well…what have we here? A gorgeous hunk that I have yet to meet! You must be new in town," Serena purred hotly, her blue eyes glowing with excitement.

Tea clenched her hands into fists, her heart rate speeding up in anger and fear. Would Yami fall for her slutty charm? Would she eventually lose him to her worst enemy? Why the hell was Serena flirting with him anyway, wasn't she engaged to Shane? The answer came as quickly to her as the question had; Yami was far hotter than Shane could even have dreamed of being!

She felt his hand wrap around her tightened fist in a very loving and comforting gesture and looked up to see him flash her a warm smile and a reassuring wink.

"Quite new indeed," he responded in a polite tone with a small, casual smile, "Luckily I had the pleasure of meeting Tea in time, before I got lost."

"Tea! How rude of you then, not to introduce me to your hot friend? After all these years together you still haven't worked on those manners of yours! Forgive my dearest friend…she can be _forgetful_ sometimes," Serena stated in a joking tone that was laced with frozen icicles. "I'm Serena Markesan, and yes, I am the daughter of Laurent Markesan."

_Bitch_! Tea couldn't believe that Serena was seriously playing her cruel game that she used to play on her when they were back at high school. Every time Tea was with a guy, Serena would use those very words to steal him away. Shane had been one of them. And of course…who would pass up a gorgeous, rich blonde, that had it all, for a brunette whore that was worthless and had nothing. _Dearest friend_? _Oh please_!

"Hmm…I'm afraid that I've never heard of him, but it is nice to meet you all the same, I'm Yami." He responded politely, tightening his grip on Tea's hand. She looked up at him questioningly, wondering why he was doing that, not that she was complaining of course.

Serena looked shock at hearing that her father was unknown to him, but seemed more taken aback when she noticed for the first time that he was holding her hand. "Oh…well, never mind that," she stumbled for words, quickly composing herself and became seductive again. "So Yami, I can't imagine someone like _you_ being single, but I'll ask anyway, do you have a girlfriend?"

Tea cringed mentally, wondering what Yami was going to answer and whether or not it would make her day or break her heart. In spite of what they already had done together, they had never actually established if they were officially a couple or not.

"If she thinks I'm worth it and says yes…" Yami answered softly, his gaze falling into Tea's secretly asking her for permission to call her something that no one had actually ever called her before. _Girlfriend_? She had never been anything more than a one-night stand or weekend 'girlfriend,' but it was never something that had ever sounded as serious or made her sound like less than a free ride.

With startled eyes, she nodded her head once, feeling her heart flutter in response to the smile that widened on his lips.

"Looks like I do," he responded with a smirk that if Tea didn't know any better, would have sworn that it was aimed directly at Serena…almost as though he knew about the past relationship they had shared, but surely that was impossible?

Serena looked like she was ready to explode, but managed to keep her cool and composure, though her eyes were frozen over with icy coldness, which wasn't a total surprise to Tea, as Serena had never been rejected for her advances. Had Yami really just chosen her over Serena? She could scarcely believe it, but it was true.

"Congrats!" Serena said through tight lips, her voice cold despite its sweetness, "I just hope she keeps you around Yami, unlike all the other guys that have hung around her in the past that came and went in crowds." She laughed as though she thought it had all been a huge joke, when in reality her words stung venomously at Tea's old inner wounds.

She felt Yami stiffen beside her and glanced at his face that held absolutely no emotion at all, but his eyes had darkened. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm already well aware that I need to pull out all stops to impress her, which is precisely why I should be heading off now and arrange _a few things_ for tonight." He turned his gaze away from Serena, completely blocking her off as he regarded his new girlfriend. "You get out at five-thirty right?"

"Uh…yeah."

"I'll come pick you up then," He smiled before leaning down and giving her a light peck on the forehead, careful with his conduct in the presence of her employer. "See you later."

"Bye!" She blushed brightly, giving him a shaky wave as he disappeared out the front door, after having said polite goodbyes to both Mr. Hardwick and Serena.

"What a nice young man!" Mr. Hardwick beamed, "Very well mannered, I like that. You don't find too many of them nowadays; I definitely think you've made the right choice love."

Tea blushed redder and gave him an embarrassed smile as she cheerfully made her way to her station behind the counter, ignoring Serena's dirty glares. Nothing could stop her from feeling excited about being a first time girlfriend and going on her first real date where she would learn more about him and hopefully pull back the dark curtain that surrounded his past. She couldn't wait!

"So Miss Markesan, what was it that I could do for you again?" Mr. Hardwick asked in jolly politeness.

"Oh…um, do you have any sapphire jewels?" she asked calmly, in a tone that sounded dangerously close to cracking.

"Uh…yes in fact we do. I've got a beautiful, blue sapphire butterfly necklace in the back, I'll bring it here for you to look at, please excuse me for a few minutes – meanwhile, Tea, would you please show Miss Markesan the 'Gracie' charm bracelet?" Mr. Hardwick requested kindly while he disappeared to the back room, leaving Tea alone literally with the _hound from hell_.

She pulled out the drawer from beneath the display, which dazzled brightly of the sparkling jewels, picking out one of the prettier ones, which came from the 'Gracie' collection. "Here is a sapphire charm bracelet, it's a one of a kind piece from the Gracie collection, so it's really good quality-"

"So you have a boyfriend now?" Serena stated rather than asked. She stood up straight with her arms folded and her eyes hard.

"Yes," Tea replied softly, glancing back at the bracelet. "So anyway, there are diamond rings that go with-"

"Does he know that you're a slut?" Serena said blatantly.

Tea's mouth dropped open. Did Serena really just say that? Yeah sure, Tea had a sketchy past and reputation, but that was just uncalled for! She was speechless, not trusting herself to say anything.

Serena smirked evilly, her eyes seeming wild and dangerous, which brought a different side of herself out in the open that Tea had never seen before. "It doesn't matter I guess, he looks serious, but my extremely large bank account is on that he's just using you for sex, a guy like that doesn't date girls like you without an ulterior motive."

Tea ground her teeth together angrily. Who the hell did Serena think she was? If she wasn't working she would have told Serena outright, where she could stick that large bank account of hers. Serena whipped her hair back over her shoulders, flashing Tea a cruel smile. "He really is hot though…"

A possessive look flashed in her icy blue eyes and Tea could literally see an idea of sorts forming in them, though it didn't take a genius to figure out what. Serena wanted Yami.

"Each charm is unique and sold separately; we have a wide range for you to choose from-"

"Way too hot for you. Any hotter and you'd melt. Don't you think?"

That did it! Sure, Tea knew she didn't deserve Yami, but no one else besides him had any right to an opinion or a say about it. Serena was way out of line, even for her standards, by sticking her snobbish little nose in their business when she had absolutely none in. And besides, what was she doing chasing after Yami when she had Shane?

"How's Shane?" Tea asked coolly, her azure eyes flashing in warning. She wasn't really a fighter, but she was capable of throwing a successful punch if the occasion called for it, thanks to a generous private lesson from one of her more nicer, previous 'boyfriends.'

Serena's eyes dimmed a little, revealing a tiny spark of vulnerability. "What about him?" she snapped.

So they broke up again.

"How is he? He hasn't bought your ring yet, is he sick? He isn't exactly someone that waits until the last minute to get something done," Tea replied sincerely, her expression mutual and calm.

"Yes! He's sick…he's got a cold…he'll get me my ring the moment he's healthy again, and I'll be renowned as the luckiest girl alive," she stated willfully, her eyes flashing brightly as she traveled through visions of her bright future that were obviously coated with fairytale-like magic.

A cold? Oh please, Shane was one of the most athletic and healthiest guys she had ever known. She had never seen him sick before in her life. If there was anything that Shane was sick of, it was the cause of a certain virus called Serena-syndrome. Her best bet went on that he was simply bored with the relationship and started to wonder on to other girls. He had never been the faithful, loyal type, what with all the attention he received from his many admirers; it was bound to happen at some point.

Tea knew more than what Serena did about those years in high school while the couple dated, since being an outcast allowed her to witness a world that the people crammed into the inner social bubble never saw, since they were too busy in their own space to notice what happened out of it. Shane screwed the whole cheerleader squad right under Selena's nose without her ever realizing it, and even had a love affair with her best friend Ashley on regular occasions. At one stage, she actually felt sorry for Selena, knowing that those very girls who claimed to be her friends and happily enjoyed the luxuries that she spoilt them with, but were ready to stab her in the back the minute it was turned.

"Oh my, that's awful, please send him my regards," Mr. Hardwick exclaimed as he walked towards them from the back door holding a silver box in his hands.

"Much appreciated, I shall," Serena said sweetly, putting her innocent mask back on skillfully. She looked at the necklace with admiration and interest, seeming to totally forget about the hurtful words she had just lain on Tea without the slightest remorse, almost as though it had never happened.

While she and Mr. Hardwick discussed business over the necklace, Tea remembered something Serena had once said to her, words that now held sinister meaning when she had everything to lose. _'I guess you could say that it's mine already…just like everything that I want.' _

* * *

His footsteps were light and barely audible against the restlessness of the evening. Little clusters of different groups began to gather in certain areas, obviously grouping up after a long day of work (or slacking) to go out and party, which seemed to be the taboo in Domino City. He passed by partly unnoticed, wanting nothing more than to be ignored and left alone. He didn't feel like picking a fight or killing anyone, nor did he feel like watching anyone else get killed for that matter, which would have been strange for him, considering that he had spent most of his day sabotaging his brother's apartment, but now there was something more important that he had to do.

He turned the corner and began to walk down the more classier neighborhoods in town, one that he found very familiar. In all honesty it wasn't that much different from the streets that he had left behind. Sure, it was cleaner, well kempt, fancier with regards to housing and genuinely safer in terms of crime rate…but if one was able to look deeper into the lifestyle of the snobs that lived here, you'd still find cheap sexual affairs that took place right under the partner's nose, secret teenage drinking and drug distributions, eating disorders, and domestic abuse. The only difference was that it wasn't expected here.

Eyebrows were always raised when he happened to pass an upperclassman or two in the neighborhood, as he didn't exactly fit in their elite social circles, but that was precisely why he loved it. He always got a kick out of their bewildered expressions that looked as though they had eaten something sour. To them he looked like a common thug, what with all the leather and studded belts, but he would have rather been staked than ever walk around advertising Armani or some other fucked up designer label…he was a guy for Ra's sake!

Rebecca's apartment building came into view, and suddenly each step felt heavy and dragged. He felt as though he was literally walking through tar, as the decision he had made played over in his mind. She was a nice girl; not at all deserving of the ordeal he had put her through. He had thought about her throughout the daylight hours, realizing at every passing hour that her usefulness to him had finally expired, and it was time to cut her off from him completely.

If anything he would at least do her a favor by sparing her from the worst of her nightmarish life. After his visit, she would finally be free of it all…

He leapt up to the broken window, which had been covered with cardboard since he had last been there. He kicked it out the way and hopped through, landing perfectly onto the Persian-carpeted floor. Just as he expected, Rebecca sat obediently poised on the black leather couch, waiting for him loyally with a blank expression and dull eyes. He saw that she was dressed in a rather see-through, lacy black dress, something that usually would have driven him wild in the past, but not tonight.

"Rebecca…I free you from my control."

Life flooded to her eyes and her head slumped forward as his control over her broke, and all her senses collected together once again bringing her soul back into her own control. She glanced around her dazed and confused, until she looked up and saw him, audibly gasping in fear.

"It's time…I no longer have use for you." His facial expression remained indifferent and somewhat cold as he stared into her fearful eyes, watching her squirm below him as though she were trying to hide within herself from his gaze.

Tears flowed from her eyes as understanding sunk in. She closed her eyes in acceptance and nodded her head stiffly. She used her arms to haul herself off the couch, almost stumbling over as she leveled herself upright before Yugi, quivering in fear. Yugi remained still and silent as he watched the pitiful human before him with sad, crying eyes and broken spirit. So much had been taken from her in such a short period of time, now she believed she was about to lose everything.

"Don't cry human, the end will not be as bad as you have imagined," Yugi consoled lightly, remaining still and unmoving from his intimidating stance just a pace away from her shivering form.

She let out a softened sob and her eyes released a flood of tears. "You know this? Even though you get to live forever?"

'_Nobody lives forever.'_

"Rebecca…" Yugi whispered, gaining her startled attention at the use of her name, something that he had never done before. "You understand why I have to do this don't you?"

She bit her lip as her eyes closed, allowing fresh tears to flow without giving him an answer, however, just by reading her expression he already could tell that she did.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he requested with an almost kind tone.

Her glossy eyes opened slightly, revealing a troubled spirit that was looking into the face of death. "I was thinking of Alice…if this was how she felt before you…and whether…is there a chance?" She gave into a small choking sob as her breath became short in panic. Yugi slowly brought a hand up to caress the side of her cheek, causing her to immediately tense up and hold her breath.

Her terrified eyes darted to his, which were emotionless and hard. He shook his head once slowly; bringing all the hope she had had, down with a destructive crash. She bit her lip to prevent a sob from escaping, turning her gaze away from him in defeat. She breathed in deeply, seeming to gather up some form of courage and strength, before turning to look directly into his fiery eyes…eyes that she had shamefully fallen in love with.

"You were my first…did you know that?" She whispered, gulping in a breath before lowering her gaze. "I was saving myself…because my mother told me…that I would be bound to the guy I gave myself to for all eternity." She felt her body go numb as her emotions overtook her senses. "I guess…I just always…wanted to believe that you cared about me…even though you hurt me…but I guess…I guess that was just stupid of me to believe."

"Never trust a vampire," Yugi muttered softly, his hand still rested against the soft skin of her cheek. "Rebecca…you wanted to ask me something yesterday before I put you under my control…what was it?"

She bit her lip and slowly raised her teary eyes to his. "I…I wanted to know, why you became a vampire."

Yugi's eyes became shadowed, as his hand fell from her cheek to rest on her shoulder. He didn't know whether to answer her the truth, or to give her one that she would easily believe for the sake of answering it. Yet she deserved an answer as close to the truth as he could get, and since these words would be the last he would ever say to her, he didn't feel the need to lie. Gazing back into her watery blue eyes he whispered back the most honest reply he could give, "I did it for someone I cared about."

* * *

"Okay Yami…where are we going?" Tea asked excitedly as he drove them further into the more classier, business complex of Domino City. He had been very secretive about what he had planned for their date, and quite frankly it was killing her with curiosity.

"You'll see soon enough," he mused, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of them with a small grin on his lips.

"That's what you said five minutes ago!" Tea complained jokingly, finding it hard to sit still. He had told her to wear something that wasn't too formal, but not too casual either…so the semi-formal dress code was just about the only clue he had given her.

"Don't worry Love, we're almost there," he grinned, holding back a laugh.

"Where exactly is there?" She grinned.

"Nice try, but you'll have to wait," he winked at her, before turning the corner.

"For another five minutes?" She chuckled, partly distracted by all the bright lights and tall buildings. This was a side of the city that she hardly ever came to, mostly because the shopping here was ridiculously expensive. However, there was one place that she had always wanted to go to, the infamous Remos Fratelli, an Italian restaurant that apparently served the best food in the entire country.

He grinned back at her in response, but didn't comment; instead he brought the car to a halt in front of a rather elegant and charming building, with a huge glittering sign that brightened up the whole street. Tea gave him a questioning look, before leaning back against her seat, to try and get a better look at the sign. Unfortunately she could only see the bottom ends of the letters, and had no idea what they meant.

Yami quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out the car, immediately walking over to Tea's side before opening the door for her. He reached out to take her hand in order to help her out the car, making her feel like a true princess attending her first ball. "Why thank you kind sir!" She teased warmly as he practically lifted her entire body, effortlessly to an upright standing position.

"The pleasure is all mine gracious beauty," Yami smirked, bringing her hand up to his lips.

Tea blushed and turned her gaze back to the sign, gasping out loud when the bedazzled words, 'Remos Fratelli,' blazed brightly above the restaurant's wide gold-framed, glass doors.

"I hope you don't mind," Yami spoke softly, tightening his hold on her hand as began to guide her away from the parking space, "But I have a thing for Italian food, it's my favorite."

Tea beamed brightly at him, "I've always wanted to try their food out; it's apparently the best!"

Yami playfully breathed out a huge sigh of relief, "Thank God!"

He opened the glass door for her, gesturing grandly for her to go in first. Tea smiled at him before stepping through the doorway, a little embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving from him. She had never had car doors or doors in general, opened for her in the past; the experience was rather new and exciting.

The interior was grand and classy, with rich red shaded wallpapers, intricately designed with tiny patterns that made up what looked like suns and vines, and gold finishes that looked expensive. A well-dressed usher, greeted them with a friendly smile upon their entrance, seeming to recognize Yami the instant that he saw him and lead them to their seats, which was by the large window that overlooked the road below and had a fantastic view of the dance floor and mini orchestra that entertained the guests.

A young, redheaded waitress met them there and handed them two fairy large, leather-backed, menus, with a polite and friendly smile, introducing herself as Serenity, their honored waitress for the evening. Tea smiled nervously at her, nodding her head in acknowledgement, whereas Yami just smirked and politely thanked her, before she left to fetch them their fruit-cocktail drinks.

When they were alone he turned to her with a warm inviting smile, seeming perfectly comfortable and relaxed. "So, what do you think? Have I scored any points yet?"

Tea blushed cutely as she brushed away some stray bangs that covered the side of her face, "Its amazing…I can't believe you've done all this."

Yami chuckled lowly, "I'm only getting started Love."

Tea blushed, loving the sound of his voice when he called her by her new pet-name. "Should I be afraid?"

He grinned mischievously at her, "Maybe…now, I do believe that I have an obligation to fulfill. I promised you that I would answer whatever question you asked of me, shall we get started?"

Tea laughed sweetly as she paged through her menu, her cheeks flushing. "Perhaps I should start by asking you what the heck I should order!"

Yami laughed softly as he flipped through several pages without even looking at them, ending up on the third from last page. "Hmm…I'd advise the 'Pollo in Bianco,' which is incredibly delicious, but then again so is the 'Pollo all Cacciatora con Funghi.' Both are chicken dishes."

"Can I have what you have?" Tea said through a small, nervous laugh.

"Of course," Yami grinned, placing his menu to his side where it was out of the way, before regarding Tea with interest. "Although I do recall saying this to you earlier, I think I'll say it again…you look incredibly beautiful tonight."

Flattered, Tea blushed brightly, giving in to a sheepish smile, "Thank you." Her words were barely a whisper, but she knew that Yami's sensitive hearing picked them up as clearly as they would have if she had screamed them from across the room. Unable to figure out where they were heading that night, she had opted for her short red dress that was conservative enough, but hugged every flattering curve, creating a very sexy combination, which she had hoped Yami would love…and clearly he did.

"So…what do you want to know first?"

"Umm…" She tried desperately to think of some of the questions that she had come up with earlier, during her preparation for this very moment, but it seemed that been in Yami's presence had made her forget everything! She couldn't even think of one.

"At a loss?" Yami asked with a slightly amused tone.

Tea laughed in defeat and relaxed against the back of her chair. "Would you believe it? I thought of so many earlier, but now I can't think of one."

"Should we start with the basics? Favorite color, favorite animal; stuff like that?"

"Sound's good to me," she chuckled.

"Alright," Yami leant back further in his chair into a comfortable posture, his eyes turning thoughtful, "I have two favorite colors, which are black and red. My favorite animal would definitely be a cat, or part of the cat family, but if I have to be specific, it'll be a common housecat. Umm…favorite food…chocolate, which qualifies for dessert as well, and I don't ever really watch TV, so I don't have a favorite show or a favorite celebrity."

"Wow! You're a cat person?" Tea asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, indeed…but then again I am Egyptian," Yami grinned.

Tea's eyes widened as one of the little mysteries that surrounded her tanned boyfriend came to light, "So that's where the tan comes from."

He nodded his head in confirmation, "Yeah, but I'm only half…my mother was Japanese."

She lowered her eyes to the pretty table-piece that decorated the center of the table as several different thoughts and questions circulated in her mind, as well as the instinctive feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her wary of questioning him about his mother, perhaps as a result of the inner feelings of conflict she felt towards her own.

"What was your mom like?" she asked softly, meeting his gaze once again, noticing a strange emotion that she couldn't place within them.

He gave her a small, almost sad smile, "Unfortunately, I don't know…I never met her."

Damn it! She hoped she hadn't just ruined their entire evening by asking such a stupid question, though there were now a thousand more questions that she thought of to ask him about his mom. She quickly decided to change the subject. "Were you born in Egypt?"

He smiled and nodded, which made her smile in return.

"What's it like over there?"

He thought for a moment with dark eyes, before giving in to a small smile, "It's hot…really, really hot!"

"Well I wouldn't have expected anything less from the Sahara Desert," she laughed.

"Very true I suppose…but I guess if you looked passed the heat; you'd find that Egypt is in fact an incredibly beautiful place…especially its sunrises and sunsets over the sand dunes," Yami said with a small smile and an almost faraway look in his eyes as he went back to the memory of his birth place that he figured he would never see again.

"Did you like it there?" She asked gently after taking note of his softened gaze.

"I have mixed feelings about it…on the one hand its my home, the place I was born and raised, and my blood binds me to it the most, in this lifetime as well as the many other lifetimes before…but on the other hand I can only identify it with pain," Yami muttered in reply as he twirled his glass around in a gentle dance, his eyes seeming haunted as he relived his days in his vampire father's grasp.

"Would you ever go back?" Tea all but whispered with downcast eyes as she fiddled with her napkin.

Yami stilled his movements and released the drinking device, before looking up into her shy eyes. "No," he said softly with a shake of his head. "Egypt…is a part of a distant past that I left behind. There's nothing there that I'd ever want to return to."

Tea bit her lip, regretting her question. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Yami hastily lifted his gaze, "No, Tea, it's okay…remember the main aim of tonight was to get to know each other."

Tea turned her gaze to the white satin tablecloth that looked far too expensive to eat on, her cheeks flushed and her shoulders slightly slumped. Feelings of guilt welled up within her stomach, drowning the butterflies that had fluttered wildly around in it until a few seconds ago. She was convinced that she had just ruined their date. "I know that…but…I don't want to ask you anything that'll make you uncomfortable or sad, or worse…angry…this is after all our first date…and I don't want…didn't want…to ruin it."

He placed his hand over hers and caressed her soft skin with his thumb, "Tea?"

She hesitantly looked up into his eyes, immediately taking note of the scarlet jewels that burnt like mini-wild fires, warm and intensely gazing into hers. "Stop worrying so much, that's my job tonight after all and you're kind of stealing it," He brushed away a few straying strands of hair, gently brushing past her cheek causing her to blush at the contact. "Nothing you can say or do would ruin this date, so I don't want you to hesitate to ask me anything."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

He nodded, "Yes I am absolutely certain."

Tea bit her lip again nervously, meeting his gaze once again. "What was your life like back there? With the…uh…you know." She involuntarily gazed around the room that was packed with the elite population of Domino City, afraid that if she mentioned the word 'vampire,' one of them may overhear, even though they were a well distance away.

"Don't worry they can't hear us from all the way over here, that's why I had this particular table reserved for us," Yami assured her with a small smile, allowing her to relax her tense posture before beginning.

"My old life…" He smirked bitterly with a small shake of his head, "It wasn't exactly easy, but after discovering what you've been through I guess I can appreciate it a little more now-"

"That's not-"

"No it is Tea…I can't imagine what your years were like having that…" Yami breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm down his welling rage, the restaurant would not appreciate his cussing outburst and neither would his date, "In any case, I should probably begin answering your question. You know already that Yugi and I were born half-borns in a coven of vampires. Now I don't know much about the other vampire covens, but I do know that ours were definitely not maternal, and lived by a strict code of survival of the fittest. We were raised practically without love and affection from the second we came into this world, and our father hardly had anything to do with us. Our father did however provide us with the best education we could get, home-schooling by a vampire instructor, which was truly a professor from hell, no pun intended."

Yami frowned slightly as an image of the vampire's face came to mind, twisted grotesquely as he barked the lesson out to his two young pupils. "If you did anything wrong in his lesson, such as not paying attention, or not memorizing a text well enough, or even answering a question wrong…he would use corporal punishment to make sure that you never did it again, and trust me, vampires can do damage. Other than that though, our father encouraged the other vampires to rough us up every now and then, to toughen us up I suppose…Eventually I sort of got used to the pain and stopped feeling it all together, but I'm not sure if that was part of my transformation or if I just developed a block against it."

"Your dad used to…"

Yami sighed deeply, "You see Tea, my father is kind of…a highly respected vampire over there and for his sons to be seen as weak by the others would damage his reputation…and my father's reputation means more to him than our lives. So yes, if we were out of line or not living up to a standard that he had set for us, he would deal with us accordingly, which was often violent and brutal…but I hardly ever got on my father's bad side that was more of Yugi's thing." He shook his head in an almost tired way.

Tea couldn't help but feel a small smile curl onto her lips as she watched the older twin before her, seeming to lighten up slightly at mentioning his brother's name. "He liked getting into trouble?"

Yami chuckled lowly with a small nod. "Oh he loved it for some unknown reason…I guess from the minute he learnt how to walk on his own he developed an addiction for adrenaline or something, because ever since then he seemed to almost befriend trouble…and just like best friends he was joined to it at the hip. Wherever trouble was…Yugi…was centered in the middle of it."

"What about you?" She asked smiling.

"Me? Oh, well generally I kept on our father's good side…but," he winked at her, "Wherever and whatever Yugi did, I was often there and involved too…most of the time by influential force, but involved all the same. And damn…I don't know how many times we nearly paid hell for our 'little' stunts."

"Are you trying to tell me that you're actually a rebel at heart?" Tea teased.

He smirked seductively at her, before giving her a mock look of innocence, "Why, Tea, it wasn't my fault! Yugi made me do it!"

They burst out laughing before Tea thought of another question. "What kind of things were you taught?"

"Eh…in the tomb?"

"Tomb!" Tea squeaked in alarm with wide eyes.

"Oh yeah…I should probably have mentioned that earlier, you see…the vampires there inhabit a huge underground tomb that was constructed about three-thousand years ago, specifically for our kind. It's where I was born and grew up…I know that it's weird." Yami side-bit his lip and turned his eyes away from hers, a little nervous about how she would react.

Tea, didn't quite know how to respond…after all it wasn't exactly an everyday thing to live in a tomb your whole life, but then again, she had to remind herself that an everyday lifestyle for a human could not compare to that of a vampire's. "Ah well…I guess it makes sense, vampire…tomb…it's kind of fitting, but quick question before you answer my other question…do you-uh-they, sleep in coffins too?"

Yami felt his lips twitch into a smile. "Not generally…they prefer beds." He decided to leave out the details on why that was. [AN: Get it?]

The small band swapped with another group as they changed shifts, causing a brief pause in the melodious, classic music. Three violin players and pianist, as well as a viola player and cellist organized themselves on the rose-decorated platform, while a harpist fiddled with her instrument.

"Our tomb-education, as I like to call it, started when we were about four-years-old, and consisted of higher-grade arithmetic and geometry, science and astronomy, history, geography, and medicine, which were all taught by the Vizier," Yami muttered bitterly as though the mere mention of his old instructor left a sour taste in his mouth. " And our cousin Seto, took over our combat training…our theory lessons lasted for thirteen hours a day with no breaks in-between, and our combat training lasted for about three…we only got Sundays off."

Tea gaped at him in shock.

"But thankfully we were able to absorb the information like a sponge…eventually…and then he had nothing more to teach us, so we were freed from his class right after we had turned thirteen…but then Seto extended our training to an extra two hours so it wasn't exactly a win." Yami grinned with a small roll of his eyes, "But at least he gave us short breaks in between to catch our breath."

"And here I thought that I had a reason to hate school," Tea joked half-heartedly.

"Actually…I enjoyed school…proper school I mean. Our father never knew about it, but on odd occasions we used to attend a private school in a nearby town, through…uh…crafty means." That was one of the most selfless acts Yugi had ever done for him, in the days when they were still close and willing to do anything for one another. Yugi loved studying about as much as Hitler loved the Jewish population, but still went the extra mile to get them enrolled at a fairly nice school, by means of manipulating the principle into believing that they were his nephews, all just for him, because he had always wanted to know what it would be like to be a part of a normal life.

Tea frowned slightly in confusion at the term 'crafty means,' wondering what he had meant by that, when an all too familiar voice cut in. "And if I had known beforehand about the bullshit that we had to put up with there, I'd have gone back to studying under Aknadin."

Yami's eyes darkened in irritation as he bit the side of his lip, barely muffling a low growl. "Yugi…"

"Evening bro-uh-Yami, and especially good evening to you lovely Miss Tea," Yugi winked as he gave her a small bowl, before pulling out a seat and gracefully seating himself in a comfortable position, giving the couple a warm, cheerful smile that glowed with mischief. "Isn't the weather this evening just lovely?"

"Hey Yugi, how are you feeling? Are you over the hangover yet?" Tea grinned, nervously glancing over at Yami who massaged the bridge of his nose in an almost irritated manner, seeming to almost claw out his eyes.

Yugi smirked at her amusedly, "How kind of you to ask, indeed I am, now I can start working on tomorrow's one."

"Yugi how exactly did you find us?" Yami asked irritably, annoyed that his twin couldn't just give him one night to be alone with his girlfriend.

"Yami, there are only three Mexican restaurants in Domino City…it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you'd pick the one closest to the park," Yugi said in a tone that stated the obvious, curiously examining one of the many forks that decorated the right side of Yami's plate.

"Maybe not, but it also doesn't take a genius to know the difference between a Mexican restaurant and an Italian restaurant," Yami retorted.

Yugi picked up the fork that he was examining and held it up in front of him with an amused expression, "Same fucking thing."

Yami opened his mouth to counter his verbal attack, but then seemed to think better of it and rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Yugi placed the fork down and glanced cheerfully at Tea with mischievous eyes, "So Tea, you're getting to know my brother huh?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Don't get any ideas Yugi…" Yami said in a warning tone.

"But my ideas are awesome!" Yugi defended.

"Oh yeah sure…may I remind you about the fire you started at school and nearly ended up burning the entire thing down to the ground…" Yami countered.

"Oh please! That was an accident!"

Tea's eyes widened. "What fire?"

Yami pulled his gaze away from Yugi's and gave Tea an indescribable look that kind of resembled Garfield's half lidded bored expression. "Yugi…set fire to the curtains in our classroom-"

"Now hang on! I didn't do it intentionally!" Yugi said adamantly.

"Yugi…when you held a match up to a highly flammable object, what exactly did you think was going to happen?" Yami lectured.

He gave Yami a blank look with glazed over eyes.

Yami hmph'ed and turned his attention back to Tea, who was doing her best to hide a grin. "As I was saying we were sitting through a-"

"A fucking boring science lesson!" Yugi chipped in, giving Tea a wink that practically said, 'watch this.'

"…" Yami breathed in deeply, regaining his composure, "Yugi…please don't flaunt your commonness."

"Why would I fucking do that?" he grinned, lounging back against his chair with his arms folded casually behind his head.

"We don't say 'fuck' at the table…asshole," Yami instructed, managing to remain expressionless.

"Why the fuck not?" Yugi pressed, with a grin.

"Because you are in a prestigious environment, act the part you dork."

"Fuck off," Yugi muttered, sticking out his tongue.

Yami was about to retort, when a middle-aged woman walked over to their table, her blue eyes blazing in anger and disgust, seeming to direct it at Yugi, who raised his eyebrows at her, briefly wondering if she was one of the lesbian activists that he may have pissed off recently. Yami shifted in his seat uncomfortably and glanced over at Tea who looked equally nervous, and placed a comforting hand over hers. The stranger pointed a finger harshly at Yugi with a knitted brown and growled at him in silent irritation.

"Yes?" Yugi asked, completely unfazed.

"You realize that a cow was murdered for that!" she spat, referring to his simple leather jacket.

Yami couldn't help but roll his eyes and breathe out a sigh of frustration. Great! This was just what he needed, an argument over who killed the damn cow during his and Tea's first date, and knowing Yugi, it was going to be one that got them all kicked out of the restaurant before their food had even arrived. He turned to Tea, meeting her diamond eyes immediately, and they both smiled, seeming to think the same thing. _'Fuck_!'

"Fuck, really? I didn't know that there were any witnesses…_guess that means I'll just have to kill you too_," Yugi said in a dark tone that sent shivers up the woman's spine, and she immediately began to back away, giving him one final, nervous glance, before practically running away from their table, leaving the trio in awkward peace.

"Yugi," Yami slightly whined tiredly.

He gave Yami the thumbs up and turned to Tea, who seemed to be rather nervous and awkward, but smiled at him anyway. "Fine, I'll give you the clean version. We were sitting through a fudge-ing boring science lesson and we had to light this-uh…burner thingy…so I lit the match and as I lit it, and I was like – hey! Let's see if the curtains will burn…and yeah…they did."

Tea finally gave in to a fit of laughter and shook her head, glancing back at Yami who gave her a comically hopeless look. She gave him a small evil smile before turning back to Yugi. "And while you destroyed your school, what did Yami do?"

Yugi rolled his eyes with a bored expression. "Yami put the fire out, before the real fun started."

Tea smiled at the half-vampire opposite to her, not surprised at all at hearing that he had been the hero of the day back then.

"Well anyways…I just came to say hi, and I'll leave you two for some alone time, while I go and manipulate the prestigious bartender to slip me a few drinks…see ya!" Yugi mused as whirled around and leapt to his feet, adjusting his leather jacket in a dignified gesture. "Oh and Tea," He grinned, "He once ate a dung beetle on a dare, when we were seven. He used to get freaked out by storms and spiders, and had his first erection when he was eleven…you two have a delightful dinner now." He winked at them before disappearing off to the bar, completely ignoring Yami's dark scowl.

Luckily for them the sweet-hearted waitress, brought them their order, so that they had something to do before the awkwardness got any worse.

Yugi smirked evilly as he made his way over to the bar's marble flat counter, taking note of the only other person there with her back facing him. His eyes predatorily took in her slim curves and unusual, but familiar silky haircut. Her silky appearing turquoise dress, hugged her body tightly, ending just five inches from her knees, allowing anyone with a roaming eye, such as he, a good look at her silky, tanned legs. He grinned inwardly, wondering if he could break his record of three minutes in charming her over to a hotel bedroom, as he had once accomplished a month before.

He casually strolled over to her side, seating himself on the stool next to her, before turning over with an overconfident expression, which quickly fell flat the moment their eyes met.

"You!" They both said at once.

"Oh god…what the hell are you doing here?" Razz growled under her breath, glancing nervously around her as though looking for an escape route.

He recognized her eyes first, before bits and pieces of the previous night's memory came back to him. "Razzy!"

"Don't you dare!" She hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes once again comfortably hard and cold. "Just get lost!"

"Where? In your eyes? Sorry babe, but I already am," he grinned.

She glared at him harshly, before turning to face the opposite direction, seeming to completely ignore him.

"You look really hot tonight all glam and dolled up…special occasion?"

She refused to answer him, and continued to scan the dining floor, seeming to pick out each seated individual as though purposely trying to find someone in particular. He followed each of her flickering gazes, before he remembered one of the last things she had said to him. "Oh yeah, you're still looking for someone right?"

She flashed him a look, before immediately looking away, refusing to answer him.

"Ooo…the silent treatment! Ever think that I might actually know where the person is that you're looking for?"

"Will you just leave me alone!" she hissed through clenched teeth, "I'm glad to see that you're still able to walk after last night, but this whole chatting-me-up-thing that you're doing is getting old and lame."

"Whoa! Wait, glad to see that I can walk?" he asked, confused by her words.

"It's a miracle actually," she muttered under her breath, continuing to scan the restaurant.

"Uh…do you know what happened to me?"

She shot him a threatening look, before noticing that he looked extremely confused. "You don't remember?"

"No…I um, don't remember much past talking to you and…three big guys," Images of the taller men were vague, but at least something he could work on.

Razz sighed and rolled her eyes. "Figures that you were so wasted you wouldn't remember any of it today… You got into a fight with three gang members of the Cobra Gang…only the most dangerous gang in the history of mobs… But you actually managed to take two of them down quite easily…then you took yourself out."

"Took myself out?" Yugi asked with wide eyes, not having remembered a fight at all.

"Yeah…you jumped on top of a table near the window on the west side, taunting the tallest one by calling him 'Blow-stick' the whole time, I never got what you meant, but whatever it was, it pissed this guy off tremendously, then you yanked up a chair from beneath the table and tossed it, in what I assumed you thought was in his direction but way off target, and instead of hitting him, hit the wall that was a foot away from you and instead backfired in your direction and knocked you right off the table, and through the window." Razz informed him with a look that heavily implied, 'idiot.'

Okay, at least one mystery was solved, but why couldn't he remember any of it.

"Well did my fighting skills at least impress you?" He grinned suggestively, remembering that he still had a score to settle with her.

"I wouldn't call what you were doing, fighting, it was more like a jungle dance."

"That's cuz' you bring out the wild in me baby!" Yugi chirped giving her a wink, which she actually smiled at… and Yugi couldn't help but think that that was totally creepy, what was the girl up to? "See, I can make you smile!"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't count on it!"

He was about to reply when an overwhelming sensation, warningly hit his core. His body jerked at the impact, as what felt like an electric bolt, spiked through him and had to grab onto the counter to prevent him from falling off the stool. His eyes widened as realization hit him, and he immediately jumped into action, knowing that time was of the essence, and very little of it still remained.

Razz noticed his sudden change in behavior an immediately grew concerned. "Hey are you okay-"

"Are you staying in this hotel tonight?" he asked in a rushed and serious tone.

"As if I'd tell you-"

"Don't go out by yourself…if you're not staying here, call a cab, just whatever you do, stay off the streets," Yugi warned her in a very serious tone, giving her a concerned look before turning away from her and dashing off to the other side of the restaurant, leaving her to stare after him with confused eyes.

He made his way over to Yami and Tea's table as they finished up their meal, and discussed the dessert menu.

"…So is that ice-cream with chocolate sauce?" Tea asked with an amused smile, as she pointed at a space on the menu.

"Yip, but because it's a fancy restaurant, it's given a complicated name that is hard to pronounce, to up its price," Yami joked, flipping through his menu.

"Yami!"

Yami rolled his eyes, "Yugi, really, this is very-"

"You've got to get Tea out of here now!" Yugi instructed with a very serious tone, as his eyes glared out through the window before returning them to Yami's concerned ones.

"What? Why Yugi? Tea asked worryingly, picking up on the discomforting vibes that were exchanged between the twins before her.

Yugi briefly glanced at Tea, before turning away to look at the people that were dining in the restaurant, and then turned back to them. He met his brother's eyes with sincere seriousness and muttered one word that totally caught them off guard. "…Vampire."

* * *

**Dadadaaaaaaaa-dadadaaaaa! Wow so much drama! Its hard to believe that this is only the first part! Yip you heard me, part one! See, It was taking too long, and I didnt want to keep you waiting too long, so I kinda had to finish it off with a dramatic 'one-word-fearful-statement' hahahaa! Originally, Razz got creative and kicked Yugi's chair out from beneath him at the bar, to which he got up, brushed himself off and said, 'that was fun! do it again!' But It didnt work out so well so I didnt write it in. **

**Okay so any thoughts? Questions? Still liking it? ...? I'd love to hear, but right now its 11:38 PM and I've been working on this all day. See you in the next chapter! Lovies! Mwa mwa!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! And I must add that it was one of the most difficult chapters that I have ever had to write! However, I'm pleased with how it turned out (probably because I know what the original looked like) and I really hope that you'll be pleased to. **

**However, before I begin with anything, I'd like to appeal to all my readers that may have experienced any personal tragedies with regards to the massive earthquake in Japan recently, my condolences for any of your losses and my heart goes out to you. I think each and everyone of us can relate to one another during times such as these in one way or another, and I really hope that you all have a good support system to help get you through these difficult times. **

**And for my other readers, I'm glad you're all okay! This month has been really stressful, but the fact that we're still living and breathing must mean that we're either really kick-ass, really too stupid to let go, or quite simply stronger than we've ever believed. I'd like to thank and welcome my new reviewers, PharaohAtem'sQueen95 (you'll get your wish someday honey), Germantownmaiden and Coka Cookie Cola, as well as all my other special reviewers you guys are all so awesome! It's really good to know that you're enjoying it so far and makes writing it all that more worthwhile and enjoyable. Thank you so much! **

**And now, on to the Perfect Strangers chapter 13! Okay, before the pitchforks come out, allow me to explain something very important. There is a section in this story that some viewers may find very disturbing, as it is extremely dark and violent. (I wouldn't even let my sister who acts as my beta in a way, to read it) I advise sensitive readers to please steer clear of it. **

**Once again a special thanks to Toxicinity for allowing me to use her as a character. **

**Okay, okay, I'll get moving now:**

**Rating: M for violence and language.**

**Disclaimer: They laughed when I put in an offer.**

**Dedication: To all my awesome readers! And Yu-gi-oh fans of the world! **

**

* * *

****Chapter 13**

(_Earlier that evening_)

Night had fallen over Domino City with a dark eagerness and icy chill, which breezed past its citizens almost completely unnoticed as they partook in the many after-dark activities that had become a lifestyle norm that was no longer questioned by the society around them. Most of the locals that belonged to the 'downtown' section of the city, made off from work and headed straight to their nightly hangouts in the various gangs or gatherings that they belonged to, some of them shamelessly leaving behind their wives or pregnant girlfriends at home without having seen or said their goodbyes, never realising that on this particular night they would never receive the opportunity to do so ever again…such was the fate of Mitch Quito, commonly known on the streets as 'The Mime,' or 'M-boy,' for short.

He was new to gang life and somewhat of a rookie, but his quick reflexive talents and pickpocket tricks, as well as his unmatched 'miming-ability,' had allowed him to gain a level-mounted degree of respect and acceptance into one particular gang that had quite a reputation among others. He didn't talk much or share much of an opinion, which they liked, and his ability to conceal all emotion, came in handy on many interrogative situations and confrontations with other hostile _entities_. However, he was still treated as nothing more than a rookie until he could complete the final test of his initiation, which would take place later on during that night at the gang's favourite hang-out joint beneath the city's bridge.

He hadn't thought twice about practically fleeing his dump of an apartment, and didn't even bother to lock the door behind him, knowing that the task would have been fruitless. His 'girlfriend' didn't even try to stop him or say a word, but instead inhaled her cigarette deeply and blew the smoke out of her nose while watching her favourite soap opera on TV, occasionally stroking her heavily pregnant stomach with a longing look in her eye, obviously wishing for her figure back instead of the baby.

Hurrying down a steep hill that led to a concrete pathway alongside a dirty little creek with suspicious substances swirling within its blackened waters, he came to the pathway that led to a spacious opening that was large enough to fit their entire gang comfortably out in the open, with the cover of the bridge as well as a few oak-like trees. The other members were already gathered around a small trashcan fire that blazed brightly against the darkness, and the drinks were been distributed freely from one to the other, while a lively urban beat gave tune to their meeting in the background from the radio of the busted up, but treasured ride of the gang's best safe-cracker, JT, who built it himself using three different cars, and about a thousand other spare parts.

He greeted them with a simple nod, his standard way of communication, which they had all grown used to and tolerated.

"Sup M-boy!" a guy named Josh greeted cheerfully, "Ya ready for ta'night?"

He once again gave a firm nod as he shoved his hands into his baggy pockets.

Their leader, named Grim, who was a huge burly kind of guy with a large scar ripped across his cheek, and dark menacing eyes, stepped forward in front of him, giving him an intimidating observation before he spoke in his gruff voice, "Well runt, it's bout time ya got 'ere, hope yer ready, 'cuz this is the time to prove yer'self. But yer lucky, cuz the boys and I like ya, and got sum'thin easy for ya."

"Yeah man! A total breeze!" a guy in the back chanted.

He gave a firm nod in response, which revealed no emotion whatsoever, making him appear completely at ease, whereas inside he was as nervous as hell. His last test had involved him in helping Josh get rid of a body, which had met an unfortunate demise during a robbery gone wrong. He was still slightly disturbed over the way that they had eventually managed to discard it…but would never admit it, even to himself.

Grim altered his posture slightly in preparation for his long list of instructions that he always made a show of giving to the rookies, especially Mitch, as a form of displaying his superiority to the others, which he felt had to be constantly reminded of…when a rather unexpected sound distracted their attentions, causing them all to look to their left where the dark opening of a tunnel protruded out a solid concrete wall.

They all quietened down the minute they heard the harsh taps of footsteps echoing off the tunnel's walls, indicating that someone was approaching them at a rather casual pace. Grim immediately glanced around his group, picking out each individual that was present, noting that everyone that was supposed to be there was accounted for. "Now who the fuck is that?" he growled out loud.

"Dun'no, maybe it's Sim' or one of 'em fuckers from Rio's gang," Josh suggested before taking a wild swig from his beer.

"Nah man, they's all dead 'en shit!" the shortest and youngest member of their gang, named Mouse, responded, his dark eyes barely visible under his long, shaggy mop of black hair. It was no secret that Mouse was Grim's half-brother from an entirely different mother, but the pair refused to ever acknowledge it. In fact, their relationship was so strained it was a wonder to everyone why Grim even had him in the gang.

The footsteps drew closer, and for some reason Mitch felt his chest constrict, as well as a warning chill that darted up his spine.

Grim was just about to call out, when a girl, no older than seventeen, finally emerged from the tunnel's dark and confined entrance, taking them all completely by surprise. Her unnatural and freakish appearance contradicted their dodgy and dirty surroundings and she seemed completely out of place in not only their territory, but the entire world. Mitch had never seen such a pale shade of skin before, not even on the dead body that he had to watch disintegrate in battery acid during his last test, it was snow white and flawless, reminding him eerily of a bright full moon against a black sky, yet what caught his attention the most was the long, waist-length, snow white hair that cascaded down her shoulders and covered her eyes. She reminded him eerily of a lost angel.

She appeared disorientated, though she had a remarkable way of swaying gracefully in her steps without falling or stumbling over in clumsiness. Yet, it soon became clear to them that she had no idea where she was or had even realized their presence. _An easy target_.

"Hey!" Grim called out to her through a sinister smirk as an idea formed within his one-tracked mind.

The girl slowed to a shaky stop, her arms swinging to her side as her shoulders slumped forward. She didn't turn to regard him, but instead seemed to wait for him to continue on, cocking her head slightly to the side as though listening out for him.

"A pretty, little, sexy thing like you, shouldn't be wonder'in round here 'ere," he smirked, his words seeming to trigger a chain reaction from his men. There were whistles and mocked howls as some of them darted behind her, blocking off any possible escape that she could have used to get away.

"Yeah there's big, bad men out here who'll take advantage of that sexy little body of yours!" a guy named Brock mused with a dangerous smirk, as his hand slowly made its way to his back pocket where he kept his favourite flick-knife. Out of all the gang members, Mitch recognized Brock as the most psychotic. He had on many occasions bragged about how he had raped and killed women, and sometimes young teenagers, on their way from work or school, in some of the most brutal ways possible. He had once described how he had practically ripped a woman open by cutting bits of flesh off her, piece by piece with a blunt blade of one of his trusty little knives.

The girl didn't move or even look at the men as they circled her, seeming completely unconcerned and uncaring.

Brock moved quickly at an almost inhuman speed and wrapped an arm across her neck lightly pressing the blade against its delicate appearing, pale skin. He grinned at Grim darkly, before whispering something in her ear, to which her mouth twitched in response to.

"Yo' Mime boy…looks like you're test, found us," Grim mumbled, his eyes bright with deviousness. "Go over there and educate her about what happens to peeps that crash our parties uninvited."

Mitch swallowed inaudibly as he gave yet another firm nod of acceptance. He didn't really want to do this. Sure, he had in the past helped get rid of several bodies, but he had never killed anyone before. However, this was the final challenge that Grim had set for him, kill or be killed. The girl, as pale and as strangely beautiful as she was, would be easy to kill, considering that she hardly looked in any condition to walk, yet alone defend herself. He decided that she would be his first victim; after all, she was probably just like everyone else that he had known in his life. She probably looked at him with the same scorn as all the other supposing 'normal' people did, probably glancing at his tattooed-covered skin and multiple piercings with disgust, and thought of him as a freak, the vermin of society. For these beliefs did he really have to care about killing her?

He walked towards her at a casual pace that was somewhat stiff in apprehension, which he tried to hide with confident strides. He mentally scolded himself for not having had at least one hit of heroin before he met up with them, knowing that it would have at least calmed down his nerves a little better. He looked up in time to see Brock's knife coming right at him, and caught it before it hit him square in the forehead. For some reason it suddenly felt much heavier than normal, and there was a slight titbit of doubt crossing his mind on whether or not he could go through with this.

He looked up at the girl, surprised that in spite of having heard everything that had been said around her, and after surely figuring out what his intentions were…she remained absolutely calm and expressionless. He couldn't help but wonder why, feeling his confidence slip all that much further at her bravery.

Brock grinned at him encouragingly, giving him a thumb's up before dragging it roughly across her throat, his dark eyes blazing with excitement that seemed to be a clear indication that he wanted to see a gruesome show unfold. "Come on 'M' we aint got all day!"

Mitch stood before her, knife in hand as he gazed at her half covered face, curious to see the eyes of his soon to be first victim, before they were dulled over lifelessly. Brock laughed sadistically, as he reached the arm that he had draped over her neck, downward, and rested his rough, calloused hand over her breasts, before fondling them harshly…

In a movement almost too quick for their eyes to process, the girl had reached up and griped his offending hand, before twisting it right around in a full circle, causing a loud, spine-chilling crack to thunderously echo through their mind's ear, before she jerked the arm forward, ripping it entirely off his shoulder in one effortless motion and flung it to the side. Brock roared out in pain as the rest of the gang gave in to startled cries.

She causally brought her blood-soaked fingers up to her soft, plush lips and licked the life-giving liquid off with a slow, but stroke of her tongue, before she straightened her posture and used the same hand to brush away her snowy bangs, revealing a pair of pitch black eyes that struck ice-cold fear within their souls, which paralyzed them completely. No one could move or speak, except whimper and stare at her mindlessly, unable to command their bodies to do anything. Mitch shuddered violently in fear, only partly aware of the sudden wetness of his pants as he pissed himself.

She looked up them and smirked darkly, her eyes wild and dangerous with evil menace and amusement. She slid her tongue over her top lip, briefly revealing a sharp pin-pointed fang, before narrowing her eyes predatorily. There was nowhere they could run…nowhere they could hide…and too far for anyone to hear their screams.

* * *

The trio darted through the restaurant's glass doors in a hurry, leaving behind a very concerned manager who stared, wide-eyed, after them, as well as a few other curious gazes from the dining guests, each giving their own opinions and assumptions about what had caused their hasty retreat in low murmurs and whispers. Yugi could sense that the vampire was close; much too close for his liking.

The moment they were out in the open, Yami was able to sense the threat too, though his senses were not nearly as strong as Yugi's and required more concentration. "Is it Seto?" Yami inquired, as he guided Tea hastily through the parking lot, holding her hand in an iron clasped grip that not even the gods would have been able to break.

"No, I don't recognise this one at all," Yugi responded quickly, keeping slightly ahead of them as they meandered through the parked cars.

"Yami, what's going on?" Tea asked in a shaky voice, doing her best to keep up with him, which was near to impossible with the heels that she was wearing.

"There's a vampire in the area that we don't know," Yami explained briefly, slowing down for her sake, "And it could be dangerous, especially for you, which is why we need to get you somewhere safe-"

"Shit!" Yugi halted in mid step and flung a protective arm out in front of the couple, stopping them from going any further. "It's here!"

Yami immediately pulled Tea behind him and took a protective stance in front of her, while Yugi did a quick sensory survey of their surroundings. The lot was so deathly silent that Tea could hear her own rapid heartbeat, and the suspension that hung claustrophobically and heavily in the air, seemed to smother her as she gave in to small pants. Time slowed down drastically, and minutes felt like hours, until they were finally greeted with harsh thudding sounds made by casually paced footsteps, which made their way toward them from the pitch darkness of an alleyway directly ahead of them. Both Yami and Yugi glared into the alley's dark passage at someone in particular, to which Tea's human-eyesight could not trace.

Tea held her breath anxiously as the footsteps neared their final destination, wondering fearfully what the dark had, up until this point, hid from sight. The single street lamp that was a little distance away from them, flickered its dull light several times before steadily glowing yellow, providing just about the only source of light in the parking lot. She forced herself to take a deep breath and clutched onto Yami's arm as the enemy finally emerged from the shadows…

The vampire's most prominent feature was the shock of white hair that reached just past his shoulders, which seemed to take on a glow of its own with the assistance of the lamp's artificial light. He regarded each of them with an observant, yet careful gaze, seeming to take a particular interest in Yami.

"So…we finally meet…Prince Atem," the white-haired vampire said in a honey coated voice, which didn't sound nearly as sinister as they had previously expected.

"_Prince_ Atem? Tea whispered in confusion, wondering why the vampiric stranger before them, had referred to Yami as such.

"I'll explain later," he softly whispered back to her, before turning to glare suspiciously at the vampire with a cold gaze of warning. "A pleasure I'm sure…but I'm afraid that I've never had the privilege of making an acquaintance with-"

"Oh for Ra's sake, let's just skip the fucking formalities. Tell us who the hell you are, how you know who we are, and what the fuck you're doing here? Or better yet, when do you plan on leaving?" Yugi interrupted rudely, as he glared evil daggers directly into the unfazed chocolate eyes of the white-haired vampire, who responded with a small amused smirk.

"Of course, my sincere apologies, I can be quite forgetful sometimes…I am Ryou…of the Southern Clan. It's an honour to meet you."

'_Oh mother of Ra!'_

'_Shit!' _

Both Yami and Yugi's body tensed. This was definitely not good!

Yami ground his teeth together and side-glanced at their surroundings as he weighed up their options in terms of possible escape routes. He knew that he was more than capable of holding his own if their brief confrontation came to violence, and even more so confident in Yugi's ability to put up a good enough fight…but he couldn't risk Tea's safety, as she was his biggest priority, and just because Ryou didn't appear hostile at present, did not entirely mean that he would not attack them. Another thing that bothered Yami about Ryou was the fact that he was confronting them alone, which was very unusual in vampiric terms and often a fatal mistake. This meant that he was either out of his mind, or very sure of himself...and when vampires were sure of themselves, they knew something that their opponents didn't.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ryou of the Southern Clan, but what is it exactly that you want?" Yami asked as politely as he could, though his stance and tone was highly defensive.

Ryou smiled gently, which startled and shocked the vampire brothers tremendously. There was something too human about Ryou's expression, something that neither twin had ever seen, on a _normal_ vampire's face, before. "Prince Atem, I have travelled all the way from Egypt, in search of none other than yourself, in the hope of finally being able to meet you, with only rumours of your existence to guide me."

"_That's not fair! How come he only wants to meet you and not me too? Bastard!" _Yugi's mental voice whined childishly.

Yami did his best not to roll his eyes. "I see…and for what reason if I may ask?"

It was then that something strange began to take place before their very eyes. Ryou's face darkened and his slightly warm features turned cold and evil. His eyes grew angry and psychotic, and he seemed to fall over the edge of insanity as his fangs peaked out at the corners of his mouth. The twins were stunned into silent horror at his immediate transformation that took place within mere seconds, never having seen anything like it before.

"You ask too many questions you're _Highness_! My business is of my own and I shall do as I please without having to answer to you! Is that understood? _You're Majesty?_" He bellowed loudly, his thunderous voice, which sounded so different to what it had earlier, bounced off the alley walls and ran down into the deserted streets, blackened by the dark shadows of the night. Each word sounded as though they had left a bitter and sour taste on the vampire's tongue, and his eyes gazed angrily into theirs. Tea shuddered in fear and automatically gripped onto Yami more tightly, as her heart raced. Ironically, she found herself more afraid for Yami's safety than her own.

"Look here you frikin white haired freak!" Yugi growled angrily, protectively shifting sideways so that he blocked Tea from the suddenly aggressive, vampire's view. "When you enter our territory, _**it is**_ our business, and if you want something from Atem then _**it is**_ his business, and if you don't cut the crap and want to start something here, _**then it becomes my business**_…"

The vampire turned his dark eyes to Yugi with a curious and almost surprised look, before seeming to carefully observe him with a glint of malice sparkling in his dark orbs. "Ah yes…I temporarily forgot that you were still here, child. How unusual, I see that you are fully fledged…You look very much like Prince Atem, why is that?"

Both Yami and Yugi's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"What the fuck? Are you kidding me? Don't you know who I am?" Yugi growled in irritation, getting bored with playing the vampire's game, and also a little annoyed at the prospect that his brother was more popular than him.

The white-haired vampire glared at him darkly without giving an answer, yet at the same time his silence was able to confirm it. Yugi's eyes widened slightly, before becoming very suspicious of the vampire he now considered an enemy. Something was definitely amiss.

"How is it that you know of my name, but not that of my brother's?" Yami asked suddenly, which earned a surprising reaction from the enemy vampire.

"Your brother?" the vampire rasped in utter shock and surprise, his wide eyes dancing from brother to brother in an awe-stricken and partly suspicious gaze. "That is impossible! Akunumkanon never produced a living half-born after your birth, you lie!"

"How the hell would you know anything about our father?" Yugi growled, not at all liking the snowball's attitude, _or the fact that he had been called a child_.

"That is none of your concern _child_, just know that I do and silence yourself, _before I silence you_ _permanently_!" he threatened darkly.

Yami's immediate brotherly instincts kicked in and he quickly jumped to Yugi's defence as he always had in the past when someone threatened his life. "Don't you dare threaten my brother Ryou!" he growled warningly, narrowing his eyes into cat-like slits. "I will not allow that. In fact, I will not allow you to confront us so arrogantly on our turf and then claim us to be liars without having your facts straightened out first. Indeed, our father was unable to produce a living half-born after _**our**_ birth."

"Yeah you fucking moron, we're twins!" Yugi spat almost smugly, as he crossed his arms over his chest, giving the shocked vampire before them a death glare. "And so help me Ra, if you call me a fucking child one more time, I'll stick that entire fucking street lamp up your ass…and I'm not kidding!"

Yami had to fight back a grin. He knew for a fact that Yugi really wasn't kidding.

The vampire's eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief. "_Twins_…it can't be…it's not possible!" he once again glanced from Yami to Yugi, seeming to take in the obvious similarities between them with a whole new understanding and realization.

'_Fuck this! Yami this guy is a fucking screwball, let's get out of here!' _Yugi suggested telepathically, shooting his brother a questionable side-glance, to which Yami jerked a slight nod, before turning his sharp ruby eyes to their enemy.

"Believe what you want, but I feel that we have exchanged enough words tonight and must now go our separate ways, farewell," Yami said politely, though his tone was cold and almost threatening. He snaked an arm around Tea's waist and began to gently guide her to the side, intending on leaving peacefully.

The vampire's eyes immediately darted to the retreating couple, "Cease your retreat immediately _Prince_ _Atem_, we are not yet finished."

"The hell you're not!" Yugi growled angrily. "Since I know my brother is too polite to decline your proposition accordingly, allow me to do it for him on his behalf – go fuck yourself!"

"Enough!" the vampire bellowed angrily as he swung around on his heels to face the tiny form of the youngest twin. "I've had enough of your constant interference you insignificant, little abomination! Your existence is a mistake! You are a mistake! And it'll be my foremost pleasure and honour of ridding our race of such a parasitic little weakling that dares to call himself a vampire! You will-"

Yami's fist slammed into the white-haired vampire's cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground in a crumpled heap, as the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed brutally through the stillness of the night. He had acted on impulse without realizing what he was doing, though inwardly he had no regrets…_but that's when things began to get weirder. _

"_Now, now Bakura…we must be courteous to our own kind!" _A new and completely different voice spoke from his lips, as he lifted himself off the ground in a jerky manner, almost as though he wasn't used to his own body.

The white haired vampire's head fell forward slightly as his eyes dulled over to an almost pale shade of grey, which seemed unfocused and dazed, as though he had slipped into a trance. Yugi gasped involuntarily as he sensed a different kind of power pressure build up within the enemy vampire, which was not only the most powerful pressure he had ever felt, but also the darkest. His eyes cleared and an ice-cold and incredibly evil look swirled within them. The trio gasped as they looked into the eyes of pure evil, aware that something was very wrong with what was taking place here.

'_Holy Ra! Is he fucking schizophrenic?' _Yugi's mental voice rang out alarmingly in Yami's mind.

He observed the vampire before them with a concerned and cautious gaze. He didn't quite know what to make of the extreme jumps in personality differences, which the white-haired vampire seemed to jump through from time to time, but something told him that this specific one was a totally different entity all together. "Ryou?" he asked cautiously.

An evil smirk curled onto his lips.

"Uh…Bakura?" he tried again, recalling the second name that he had mentioned shortly before slipping into his third creepy state.

A rumpling, chortled laughter caught in his throat, which could have almost been mistaken for a growl, if it weren't for the evident amusement in his eyes. "Not quite, young prince…you must forgive my young servant's social skills and short temper, as well as his failure to give proper introductions," he chuckled coldly to himself, finding something funny. He gazed at Yami with a cold, but seemingly fond smile, seeming rather thoughtful for several minutes. "Oh Atem…how you've grown."

His words sent an ice cold chill up Yami's spine. "What?"

'_Yami this creep is a fucking psycho! We've got to get out of here and we've got to get out of here now!" _

The vampire cocked his head to the side, his interest now focussed on the one person that neither of the twins had wanted him to even notice. Tea!

"My, my…what a beautiful young _human_ girl," he said menacingly as strange look flashed in his black eyes.

Yami pulled Tea completely out of his view, growling defensively. "Leave her out of it!"

He smiled darkly as he lifted his eyes to Yami's, seeming to secretly challenge him with his gaze. Thoughts seemed to escalate within his black orbs, suddenly reminding Yami of his ability, which in all the drama he had forgotten he possessed. Without a second's thought of hesitation, Yami immediately set his mind-reading ability into focus, with the intention of penetrating his opponent's evil mind and uncovering the mystery of what was really going on, when a searing, electrifying pain, blasted through his own.

He cried out and clutched his throbbing head, clenching his teeth tightly as pain seared through every corner of his skull, which was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Tea grabbed onto him in concern, her eyes wide with fear. "Yami! Yami are you okay? What's wrong?"

"What the fuck did you do to my brother asshole?" Yugi growled in rage, his fangs sliding down the sides of his mouth as he darted a worried look back and forth between Yami and the _psycho_, unsure of which to deal with first.

The vampire calmly and patiently turned his gaze away from Yami, and smiled amusedly at Yugi. "Why, I didn't do anything young one. Your…_brother_…is the one at fault for his own pain…looking into more than one mind at the same time can be quite a challenge for someone that is, should we say, _underdeveloped_?" he smirked, his dull soulless eyes seeming to glow with a secretive, knowing look.

Yugi glared at the vampire that was really starting to piss him off. _Underdeveloped_? Was he implying that Yami was weak because he wasn't yet fully fledged? If that was the case, the vampire couldn't be further from wrong!

Yami's pain began to subside as his breathing returned to normal, though his eyes were still narrowed in a mid-flinch. The vampire seemed to regard him for several seconds, before refocusing on Yugi. "You interest me little one…tell me, what is your power?"

Yugi growled irritably, "Like I would fucking tell you anything you son of a bitch! First you threaten to kill me, then you insult me, and then you attacked my brother – and now suddenly you're interested? Fuck you!"

The vampire's strangely inviting expression remained stationary, though it was noticeable that his eyes had darkened with a dangerous glint. "It's no matter young one…we are after all on the same side are we not…as vampires?"

Yugi's jaw clenched as he glared directly into the vampire's black eyes, refusing to answer him.

The vampire narrowed his eyes curiously, obviously not the type to make assumptions out of unanswered questions or perhaps unsatisfied with Yugi's silence. "I see…well regardless, _things will change soon enough,"_ he stated simply, before resting his gaze back on Yami, who had finally recovered from his ordeal at a much quicker pace than what he had previously predicted, and smiled. "You are much stronger than I realised Atem…you will most definitely make a fine vampire in the near future-" "_My Lord! You can't be serious_-" "Silence Bakura!"

The trio watched in silent horror as the vampire before them argued with himself in different voices.

"Yami…" Yugi whispered softly, as they watched the self-verbal battle that raged on between the vampire and whomever the hell he was at war with within himself.

"Yes Yugi?" Yami whispered back in response, his eyes just as wide and concerned as his younger twin's.

"He's…arguing with himself…"

"I know…"

The vampire growled, and suddenly before them, a change once again took place and they were once again confronted by the personality, which had previously been named Bakura. "It's your lucky day you're _Highness! _And even more so yours, you little ingrate," he flashed Yugi a look of hatred and scorn, "Next time, I'll make you wish that the mistake of your birth had been remedied at the hands of your father the minute you breathed in air from this world."

And before either twin could react to his venomous words, his head slumped forward limply with closed eyes, seeming to take on an almost peaceful look. His eyelids fluttered open and he gave in to a series of dry coughs, to which he brought up a hand to massage his throat for. "Good-" he coughed and cleared his throat, "Grief! I apologize, but I feel as though I've been screaming on the top of my lungs for hours, do pardon me, please." He coughed again for comfort reasons before he lifted his shy-like eyes that had once again softened to their normal chocolate colour, to the trio before him and seemed a little taken aback by the horrified looks that they were giving him. "Uh…is there something wrong?"

Yugi regarded him in the same comical way that he would have regarded any mentally unstable lunatic and slowly began to back away. _'Nah uh! Fuck this loony, I'm out of here!' _

"We're leaving!" Yami informed him in as calm a voice as he could manage, guiding Tea away as hastily as he could, giving Yugi a brief, informative glance that invited him to join them in their escape.

The 'Ryou personality' opened his mouth to protest, but a voice only he could hear halted his actions immediately, and instead, simply waved them off, even though it was only Tea who had glanced back at him. He raised his eyes to the starless night above them, before gently blowing away a troublesome strand of white hair out of his eyes. "That didn't go nearly as smoothly as I had wanted," he said softly to himself.

He pulled his hands into frustrated fists and ground his teeth together, as an all too familiar ache swelled within the centre of his chest. He needed the smaller vampire out of the way immediately if he still hoped to accomplish what he had come all the way from Egypt to do…and there was only _one_ that he knew of that would be able to do it for him…

He briefly glanced at the retreating trio once more, before soundlessly spinning on his heels and disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

"W-what exactly was that back there?" Tea asked shakily as Yami helped her into the car.

"Wish I knew!" Yami responded honestly as he buckled her in before shutting the car door. "Yugi?"

"Don't ask me, I don't have a fucking clue, but I will tell you guys one thing – _that moment_ is going down in my records of the weirdest fucking minutes of my life! And I'm a vampire!" he grumbled as he climbed into the back seat.

Yami got behind the wheel and started the car, glancing warily at his surroundings to make sure that Ryou/Bakura/_The Psycho_ wasn't planning on pulling a surprise attack on them, before reversing out of the parking space. "How the hell did he know about us?"

"Us?" Yugi asked rhetorically, "You mean you."

"Regardless! He knows more than he should, but what bothers me the most is that he claims to come from the Southern Clan…if that's true, then how exactly does he know anything about ours? It doesn't make any sense," Yami growled in frustration, speeding down the highway.

"He could be lying?" Yugi suggested quietly, though his tone suggested that he himself didn't believe it.

Tea bit her lip, her body still shivering from the nerves that refused to calm down. Yami side glanced at her, his expression immediately softening when he saw how scared she looked, and removed a hand from the steering-wheel and gently placed it on hers, giving it a light, comforting squeeze. "Are you okay?"

Not wanting Yami to regret taking her out that night or even worse, regret allowing her into his life period! Tea instantly began to nod her head, doing her utmost best to mask her true feelings. "Yeah, totally, I'm fine, I just…I just, uh…"

"She just needs a shot of brandy or something to calm her nerves," Yugi suggested wisely from the back seat.

"No!" both he and Tea responded at the same time.

"Jeez it was just a suggestion!"

"Yugi, is he following us?" Yami asked, ignoring his younger twin's last statement.

"No," Yugi answered back. _'He's heading towards the eastern side of the city, no doubt for a late night snack; I don't think he'll be a problem for the rest of the evening.' _

Yami did his best to keep a low, frustrated growl to himself. He was somewhat glad that Yugi hadn't mentioned that verbally, as Tea, who he knew was close to breaking point in spite of how hard she tried to hide it, would not have been able to handle the dark and cruel truth that some innocent life was about to be lost in a matter of minutes.

Yugi thought about the weird white-haired vampire. Something was definitely wrong with him, despite the _obvious_ faults. There had definitely been something unnatural about him, something dark and abnormal, even for a vampire. He had never come across one of his kind before that suffered from 'psychological' problems… "He must have had one fucked up transformation," he muttered aloud.

Yami glanced at him in the review mirror, catching on with what Yugi had meant immediately, in spite of not having heard the whole mental self-conversation Yugi had had with himself. Tea on the other hand was a little behind.

"Huh? What do you mean Yugi?" she asked curiously.

"Uh well…you see, on rare occasions, when someone is turned into a vampire, a weird reaction can sometimes take place, and it kind of messes them up a little…I uh, don't quite know how else to explain it…Yami?"

"He means 'messes them up' as in biochemistry kind of stuff. There's a chemical compound in vampire blood that can cause a _fault_ in the transformation process, which can result in all kinds of defects, like extreme skin pigmentations or hair discolouration, and sometimes even mental dysfunctions. We once had a vampire in our clan whose transformation caused his skin to become so transparent that if he stood before a bright light, you could literally see some of his insides-"

"Which, was so fucking cool!" Yugi interrupted with a small chuckle.

Yami rolled his eyes and turned around a sharp corner that led down a deserted road. Tea made a face, clearly disgusted by the image that she had unwillingly imagined in her mind. "Eww!"

"It's not common, but it does happen, and it isn't something that you can really prevent. It's just one of those freak occurrences, though I suspect that it may have something to do with the person's genetic makeup before they are turned-"

"Ah for the love of Ra, did you have to turn our conversation into a boring science lesson? You're such a dork!" Yugi complained.

"Sorry, did I forget your low level of intelligence again? Next time, I'll try to use simpler terms," Yami retorted in a dry tone.

Tea smiled, before returning her thoughts back to the vampire, "So…do you think that something like that happened to Ryou Bakura?"

"Ryou Bakura?" Yugi asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Well…yeah, I didn't know which name to call him by, so I put both the names that he had mentioned together…it kinda sounds like it fits well enough, don't you think?" she asked shyly as a light blush burnt on her cheeks.

"Sure," Yugi answered in a bored tone, hardly sounding convinced.

"I'm not sure…he may have been completely insane before the transformation too," Yami answered as he parked the car next to her apartment building. "Either way though, we're going to have to be more careful, especially with your safety Tea." He remembered clearly how the vampire had looked at her, with too much of an interest for his liking.

Tea nodded in slowly in understanding, her eyes downcast and troubled.

"Uh…want me to check out the perimeter for any signs of threats?" Yugi offered as he unlocked the car door, casting a grief glance at Tea before shoving it open. Yami turned and looked back at him with a confused expression, but Yugi didn't give him time to reply as he leapt out onto the sidewalk without waiting for an answer. "Okay great, I'll be right back," he winked at Yami, before vanishing into the night in what seemed to be a black fast-moving and shadowy mass.

Yami blinked several times as he watched after him in silent confusion, wondering why Yugi would need to do a surveillance check, when he had an internal sensor that indicated when another vampire was near…

"Yami?" Tea's soft spoken voice managed to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Yes Tea?"

"About what happened back there…there's, uh, a question that I've-"

"I know…you want to know why Ryou called me _Prince_ Atem, right?" he finished for her with a small smile.

She nodded her head gently as she lifted her eyes to his, relaxing immediately when she felt their warmth.

He breathed in deeply and leaned back against his seat, keeping his scarlet eyes on hers. "Remember earlier, when I told you my father was a highly respected figure back in Egypt?" he paused in his explanation as she nodded. "Well, he's not just respected…he's kind of worshipped like a god and celebrated as the king of our vampire clan." Yami sighed and closed his eyes, as his thoughts drifted back to the past.

"A king?" Tea repeated in a low whisper with wide and shocked eyes.

"Yeah…but it get's better, he used to be a great and powerful pharaoh, three thousand and thirty six years ago when he was still human. A highly respected monarch that lead his kingdom on the side of Ra," he opened his eyes and smiled bitterly, "And then he became the king of darkness…the first vampire in the world, by choosing immortality and power at the cost of his soul and Ra-given gifts that he took for granted."

Tea gasped, "U-uh…r-really?"

Yami smiled at her softly, before nodding his head, "Like I said, my blood binds me to this lifetime as well as many others…that is why I'm titled as Prince Atem, just like Yugi is titled as Prince Yugi."

"Is your father…evil?" Tea whispered softly, as she gazed down onto her hands that were rested on her lap.

"Incredibly," Yami muttered without emotion.

"But…he must have loved your mother, surely? I mean since they…you know," she said in what sounded like a very hopeful voice.

Yami gave in to a low sigh. He had hoped that this particular topic, about the relationship his parents had had, would never come up, but there was no way to avoid it now, since he had promised Tea, as well as himself, that he would never keep anything from her. "No," he whispered remorsefully, "He didn't feel anything for her in the slightest. Vampires, Tea, don't have relationships…they have sexual slaves."

He waited for his words to sink in, and when they did she gave a loud gasp. "Y-you mean…"

"My mother was abducted and dragged against her will into my father's chambers, raped repeatedly by him, fed off by him, and eventually impregnated by him. She spent the rest of her days been tortured in ways that I can't even bring myself to think about, right up until her death…my father never once showed her any affection or mercy," Yami ground his teeth together in anger, as the hatred he felt towards his father grew. True, he had never known his mother enough, to truly love her or miss her as he would have, if he had just a few years of memory of her, but she was still his mom and she didn't deserve to die in the way that she did…especially because of him.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

Yami's gaze softened as he took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. If there was anyone that could relate more to his mother's ordeal, it was her. He opened his mouth to apologise for reawakening the pain of her old and personal memories of her own abuse, when she cut him off with a statement of her own. "You're not like him at all…she'd be so proud of you."

Yami was stunned into silence. He had absolutely no idea how to respond to that statement, because anything that he would have said would have been an outright lie. He didn't believe that his mother was proud of him, how could she be when giving birth to him had caused her death? Yet, denying it would hurt Tea's feelings, or result in an argument which he didn't have the energy for. As for the 'not been like his father' that was definitely up for debate, but he wasn't going to get into that right now…too much had already been said.

He forced himself to give her a small smile of gratitude and muttered thanks before pulling her into a warm hug, in which they remained in silently for several minutes, until Tea accidentally gave voice to her private thoughts without awareness, "Can't believe I fell in love with a prince."

"Is that really much of a stretch from the belief that you fell in love with a vampire?" Yami whispered amusedly through a small grin, secretly amused when he felt her body tense.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she felt like kicking herself for being so stupid. She could not believe she had just blurted that out, and didn't even want to imagine what Yami thought of her now. _There were rules about this weren't there_? _Damn it_, she couldn't even think straight. Did he think that she was moving too fast now?

She her bit her lip nervously, "I, uh, mean…I meant…shit, I'm sorry!"

Yami chuckled and pulled away from her slightly, though continued to hold her close, as he gazed deeply into her eyes with his dark red ones. Without been able to help it, he gently reached up and caressed the side of her face, his fingertips gently gliding over the softness of her cheek, before leaning forward to place his lips on hers. She sighed into the kiss, eagerly returning it in spite of still feeling awkward and embarrassed, loving the feeling of his lips against hers. She felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her closer to his firmly built chest, deepening the kiss until they both needed air. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her too, but he couldn't yet…not like this. She had been hurt too many times before in the past, told too many times that she was loved when in fact she was just been used…so he knew that his words would be just that - words - until he could prove to her that she did in fact mean more to him than life itself.

"Come one, let's get you inside, you're shivering," he said at last, pulling away from her, before hastily rushing to open her door for her on the other side with vampiric speed that was too fast for her to see. She blinked twice as her mind registered movement, finding a small smile curl to her lips as she took his hand.

"Wow…you're fast," she commented with a trace of admiration in her voice. She was a little disappointed that Yami hadn't returned her feelings, but hid them well, knowing that she couldn't possibly expect him to feel the same way after only a few days. In fact, when she thought about it more, she realized how stupid she was being of falling in love with him as quickly as she was. She had to pull herself out of her dreamland and remember that this was reality, not a fairytale. There was still a chance that Yami could find and fall in love with another girl, or possibly, being the overprotective guy that he was, leave her to keep her safe…

She forced those feelings away as she looked at him, her incredibly hot, half-vampire, Egyptian prince, boyfriend. If there was one lesson in life that she had to learn, it was to live in the now, and right now, Yami was there before her, solid and alive, not a figment of her imagination, but a living and breathing person. He had chosen her over a girl that she had lost so many 'men' in her past to, without a second's worth of hesitation, not to mention how he blatantly ignored Mai the first time he met her. This wasn't just any guy…and if he did leave her, she knew that she would be heartbroken, but right now, he was there and that was all that had to matter.

"Yami?" she asked him shyly, lowering her gaze from his, "Would you mind doing me a favour?"

"Of course Tea, anything you want," he said as he took her hands into his, tugging her gently towards him.

"Would you…mind staying with me tonight? I don't want to be alone." _Or end our date just yet, _she added secretly to herself.

He wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her into a protective embrace, burying his face in her hair and breathed in her scent. "Of course I will," he said before kissing her forehead. He was about to guide her back to her apartment, when he allowed a low irritated growl escape his throat, sensing Yugi's presence behind him. _'Of course he would choose now to interrupt.'_

"Pardon my interruption, but before you two _get stuck like that_, can I have a word with you?" Yugi requested his eyes focussed pointedly at Yami.

He narrowed his eyes at Yugi, but nodded his head all the same, before turning back to Tea. "I'll be right up."

"I'll be waiting," she smiled, before slowly walking away, briefly waving Yugi goodbye before she disappeared through the front doors.

Yami shoved his hands into his jacket's pockets and turned to face his shorter brother, breathing in the cool night air. "What's up?"

Yugi grinned, "Have you ever notice that we never speak Egyptian to each other, even when it's just us?"

Yami frowned and cocked an eyebrow, "Yugi, the incredibly _wonderful_ and _romantic_ date that I had planned for tonight fell just short of a disaster, and to make matters worse there's a new enemy skulking around on the streets that happens to be even more insane than you, and right now all I want to do is spend time with Tea and try to salvage what's left of our evening together…so if you really pulled me away from her just to point out crap that I really don't care about-"

"Yikes! Here's another pointless piece of crap that I'm going to point out to you – you PMS like a bitch! Besides, if you two could see yourselves when you're together like I can, then you'd also want to hurl your guts out!" Yugi chuckled, skilfully dodging Yami's attempt to get him into a headlock.

"Don't make fun of something that you'll never experience," Yami growled playfully.

"Yami, the day I get overly-emotional and starry-eyed over a girl, I want you to sock me one so hard that fragments of my skull will exit out the back of my head, 'kay? Good!" Yugi straightened himself out and tugged on his jacket, before turning serious, "And yeah…there is something that I want to talk about. It's about our new little vampire friend, this Baka-ura or R-_ho_ character…I really don't trust this guy, there's something very strange and wrong about him."

Yami nodded in agreement and folded his arms, "Yeah, I think we all kind of figured that when he started talking to himself in three different voices."

"It's not just that…his power was the strongest I have ever felt before and old…In fact near the end there, I'm certain that I could probably date it back even more than three thousand years…much older than our father's." Yugi said almost nervously.

A chill crawled up Yami's spine. "That's impossible Yugi, vampires only came into being, three thousand years ago _thanks to our father_; you know how the story goes."

"Mmm-hmm…but I also know what I felt, and," Yugi glanced away, biting the inside of his lip, "I don't know if we can take him."

Yami gazed at Yugi in surprise, never having heard him lack confidence in his abilities before. "I've never known you to be scared before Yugi."

Yugi shook his head, seeming rather offended by the accusation, "I am not scared of anything! Especially this fucking psycho! Though I might have a slight fear of, uh…_commitment_, but other than that, I'm fearless!"

"Well if you are, don't hesitate to return back to Egypt."

"And leave you behind?" Yugi mocked a look of horror, "No, never! Can't do it, it would be just too painful and heartbreaking!"

Yami smirked, "Yeah I'd bet, torturous in fact."

"You took the words right out of _my ass_ big bro," Yugi grinned, as he glanced in the apartment building's direction, up to the window on the seventh floor. "Is she worth it?"

Yami frowned, "Yes of course she is!"

"That's all I need to know," Yugi said simply before making a move to leave, when Yami stopped him.

"Yugi, when you first came to Domino City, what did you mean when you said you weren't going to kill her, but do the opposite?"

Yugi smiled mysteriously, "_Decisions change…and so does the future_."

Yami frowned in confusion, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It means that I can't answer you now," Yugi grinned, before looking up at the stars, seeming thoughtful rather than interested in the glitter-glowing masterpieces of the universe.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, we keep secrets from each other nowadays," Yami said in a bitter, but tired sounding voice, as though he was beginning to give up on fighting what seemed to be a losing battle.

Yugi looked at Yami with an almost remorseful gaze, seeming to want to say something that he couldn't.

"Just answer me one thing then Yugi, just one…whose side are you really on, and no more bullshit…just tell me that, and we can go on with our lives…or life in my case, and undead journey in yours," Yami practically pleaded, the years of pain and exhaustion of his and Yugi's silent battle catching up on him.

Yugi stared at him for a long time, meeting his older brother's challenging eyes with sincere, honest ones, before a small _human_ smile crept onto his lips. "Yours."

Yami gasped in surprise, but wasn't dumb enough to be fooled a second time. His eyes soon turned untrusting and cold as he regarded his shorter brother.

"I understand why you don't trust me Yami…but I don't want us to fight anymore. What's it going take?" Yugi asked almost reluctantly.

Yami thought about it for a moment, his feelings challenged and tormented. He didn't for one minute think that he could trust Yugi, but at the same time, he wanted to believe that he could, and in spite of everything that had forced them apart in the past, there was just that little irritating, brotherly instinct that prevented him from turning the one chance that could bring them together again, down…

"You have to stop killing," he replied at last.

Yugi growled and turned his head away, "Come on! I'm a vampire it's what I do!"

"Then we can't be brothers anymore," Yami answered simply.

Yugi hissed, "What if I just kill the _bad guys_?"

"A life is a life Yugi," Yami muttered impatiently.

"Yeah, but murderers get the death penalty anyway! And rapists should get the death penalty!"

He had a point, and unfortunately a good one.

"Yugi, you have killed and raped girls before, but no one has killed you yet, so how can you use that as a justification?"

"Smartass!" Yugi growled in defeat, crossing his arms across his chest, "Though just to let you know, all the girls that I've slept with in the past have given me their consent!"

"In the same way a human would use a date rape drug," Yami replied, fighting back a triumphal smirk. _It wasn't often that he won verbal wars with his brother_.

_Date rape drug…_Yugi's eyes widened. _Memory loss_…_intoxicated state_… "Son of Set!"

Yami cocked an eyebrow, "I guess that's one way of referring to me, but remember we share the same father-"

"No you fucking idiot, last night my drink was spiked! No wait…" he remembered the odd colouring of Tea's drink, "Not mine…Tea's."

At the mention of her name, Yami's interests peaked immediately. "What?"

"There was something suspect about it before I downed it in one go and right after that I began to feel really weird, like floating…and that's the last thing I can remember. There must have been something in her drink," Yugi said thoughtfully, trying to remember if he had seen any suspicious men hanging around them, when he was confronted by the realization that every single guy in the club that night was a candidate.

"I can't honestly say I'm surprise, there's no doubt in my mind that James…" Yami's words trailed off, as he realized that James had in fact been in the back room the whole time they had been together at the bar, which in fact ruled him out as a suspect. "No wait, he wasn't around then."

"He could have got someone else to do it," Yugi suggested.

Yami shook his head, "I would have heard him."

"Maybe it was just one of those random spikings; you know when a guy just sees a girls he wants to fu-"

"I get the picture."

_Asshole_, Yugi commented mentally. "Unless of course," he looked Yami up and down suspiciously, "You spiked the drink yourself?"

Yami raised an eyebrow.

"Or not…but then again you know what they say," Yugi stated mysteriously.

Yami rolled his eyes, "What do they say Yugi?"

Yugi was silent for several moments, caught in his own trap, "They say…_things_."

"Wow! How mind-blowing Yugi," Yami retorted sarcastically.

Yugi stuck out his tongue childishly, before turning to leave, "I'm leaving, go back and have _fun_ with your girlfriend."

"What about our deal?" Yami called after him.

Yugi stopped in his tracks and rolled his head around in a defeated gesture. "Ok… I acknowledge the point you're trying to make about taking a human's life, so I won't kill anyone as from this day forward. _But I will feed off them_."

Yami was about to protest, but decided that this was at least a start. "Fine, deal, but not from innocents, and no one younger than 18 period."

Yugi nodded and began to stroll down the sidewalk, "I'll see you tomorrow night, dark and late!"

Yami smiled after him and shook his head, knowing that although it was too early to tell, it seemed as though a peace was on the horizon. He missed the closeness he shared with Yugi, and although he was unsure if he would ever have that with him again, he knew that they were on the right path towards something like it. He held that thought as he walked up to the apartment-building's double doors, leaving the strange abnormalities of the 'night-world' behind its closed doors, and made his way to the girl he loved...

* * *

**(warning! Disturbing content)**

Ryou made his way silently through the tunnel's entrance, wrinkling his nose immediately when the disgusting scents hit him. He cursed under his breath, and avoided stepping on anything that looked even vaguely suspicious. A few rats skittered past him, luckily not touching even a hair on him, for he may have purposely crushed their heads in, finding rats to be the worst vermin of all.

_What would she be doing in a place like this? _He asked himself thoughtfully as he glared at his grotesque surroundings, which reminded him more of a sewer than whatever land-device it was supposed to serve as. He leapt out the entrance and brushed his black blazer off, glancing around at his surroundings until the overpoweringly delicious smell hit him.

Blood! And lots of it!

She had her back turned to him, standing in the centre of a literal bloodbath, with damage that he in all his years of existence had never seen before. The small creek beside them ran blood instead of water, which gushed downward in a dark crimson stream, in which two lifeless bodies that seemed to have caught onto something, remained stationary with their eyes glazed over in death, staring wide open at him, their throats ripped out in a bloody mess, while another floated away in a face down position, his arm seeming to have been ripped off from his body entirely. There was also a body of a young teenager hanging from a tree nearby, oozing blood in a mini waterfall from his throat, while another lay in an awkward position with his legs bent backwards and a deep, vertical slash down his back that showed sharp fragments of his broken spine that protruded from his skin. On closer observation he also noticed that he was missing some of his fingers…

Ryou gulped nervously as he turned back to the girl he had been searching for, noticing that she had her head slightly cocked to the side, obviously having realized his presence. He began to walk towards her slowly, carefully stepping around bits and pieces of human body parts, recognizing a few misplaced teeth, fingertips, bone fragments…and a crushed missing heart. His eyes followed a dark trail of almost black blood that lead further on and rested on the body of what had once been that of a huge burly man, whose chest was ripped wide open, almost as though a bomb had exploded within it. It didn't take him a split second longer to realize that the ribcage had been forced open from the outside, and had no doubt that he found the owner of the missing heart.

He gave a disgusted growl as he stepped over it, which she responded to by turning around to face him, holding a head securely in her arms. He cocked an eyebrow at what she held, before lowering his gaze to the mutilated body that literally lay in pieces at her feet, supplying most of the blood that made up the pool that surrounded her…She had clearly not liked this human.

_Dear Set! _

"Lamia…what is this?" he growled.

She looked up at him with cold blankness, her black eyes bright with menace. He noticed that her black school-like outfit was drenched crimson with blood, and her long, perfectly sharp manicured nails were caked with the metallic-odour substance as well. She lowered her gaze down to the bold head that she held in her hands, that still had blood leaking out its mouth and eyes, before returning it to his chocolate coated eyes. "I was thirsty."

He growled in irritation, though there was a strained trace of nervousness in it. "Enough of this…I need you to do something for me-"

"_Always need to do something_…_Always need to listen_…_Always and always_," she chanted in a bored sounding, sing-song voice, and her eyes seeming faraway and distant. Her long silvery white hair gently stirred in the breeze, its ability to remain completely untainted amazing him, considering not a drop of blood had managed to touch it.

"Lamia!" he growled in an attempt to snap her out of her trance, "There's a vampire that I need you to take care of immediately-"

"_Always so quickly…Always and always…Must take care of it, always, and always be quick…no time anymore…never time, always and always." _She sang sweetly as she turned her back on him, still holding the head with downcast eyes. She gripped the head more tightly, her finger just touching one of the many studded rings that decorated its face, and with one swift movement, crushed it in completely, which spluttered wetly to the ground, like an exploded watermelon. She looked up at the sky that glittered with silver stars, "I'll take care of it!"

* * *

**Ha! You wanted a vampire, I gave you two! Mwahahaha! But now, the question is, friends or foes?… hehehe, so what do you guys think? Right now, shit is starting to hit the fan, which you'll all see in good time, (winks). **

**Now, onto the questions: What's in the box? What's in box! Are you really sure you want to know? Don't worry Razz, she'll open it soon. Are the old characters going to come back? Say for example Joey? Guys, what would the show be without Joey Wheeler? [By the way, he was in chapter 12 guys, read carefully, you might be able to spot him.] **

**I really hope everyone is still enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. For those of you that were sharp, well done, but for those of you that didn't notice, 'The Mime' AKA 'Mitch' is in fact a character from the Yu-Gi-Oh show; he was the Slyfer wielding puppet that Merick used during Battle City. **

**And last but not least… I'm contemplating on an additional future character that I want to add into this story, but I thought that it would be nice to offer once more if any of you would like to be written in as a character. **

**So that was chapter 13 guys! Wow, it's come a long way. I re-read the original Perfect Strangers the other day and had a few giggles, because the plots are totally different. So I suppose it's time for me to go and start chapter 14…hmm I wonder what my characters are going to get up to? **

**See you next chapter! Love you lots!**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Hey guys!_ Sorry for the lengthy update, my life has been crazy lately! I'm still writting exams at the moment, so please bare with me and try to understand my sudden lack of creativity, as it has suffered major blows from both stress and lack of sleep (among lack of chocolate and coffee!). **

**So anyway, this chapter was a nightmare from start to finish, and had to be rewritten several damn times! However, giving up the long battle, I'm just going to kindly inform you all, that I tried my best and I sincerely apologise if it is not to your liking. On the bright side, here is chapter 14!_ Still can't believe it has got this far_! And for a certain group of fan-girls (you'll know who you are soon enough) One of our beloved Yugioh characters is going to make an appearance...hmmm ;-). Anyway here is chapter 14.**

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed! And a special welcome to the new reviewers, PharaohAtem'sQueen, I lovemanicures (at least I know you're not going to claw my eyes out then) and IceFire Dragon Alchemist73...thank you so much for taking the time to review, I really appreciate your kind words. As for PharaohAtem'sQueen, please enable your private messaging so that I can actually respond to your messages! Loved your story by the way. So let's continue...! **

**Rating: M for language!**

**Disclaimer: Must we go over this again?**

**AN: Remember I love you guys! So please don't kill me! Oh, and Intro is done by Yugi. Thanks for reading, please enjoy!**

_Previously on the Perfect Strangers:_

_For over a decade, my brother has lived in secret as a struggling bisexual, not sure on whether or not he was gay or straight until now (he met this chick called Tea) he knew the risk, but he had to know her. "I'm Yami!" "I'm Tea!" He was a vampire; she did ballet…what more can I say? Then I showed up and he was all like, "Yugi!" and I was all like, "Hello brother!" _

_So where are we now?_

- **Chapter 14** -

Having grown bored yet again in Yami's apartment and unable to sleep, thanks to his _newly _discovered '_problem_,' Yugi was reduced to watching, _Ra forbid_, reruns of Hannah Montana, on what looked like a middle-aged black box with a shiny screen that gave a surprisingly clear picture. For some reason, the retards running the channel, decided that instead of offering their audience a variety of different shows, they would invent something they called 'All day Hannah Montana,' which meant that unless he wanted to watch the Teletubbies, or that Ra forsaken educational channel that had something to do with math…he was pretty much stuck with the so called 'teen-sensation,' _all fucking day long_.

The tenth episode of the day began to play, and Yugi nodded his head in time with the theme-song's drum intro, this time deciding to sing along with her…_adding a few words of his own_.

'_You get the limo out front…'_

'_Naked pics of you on every porn mag's cover…'_

'_Yeah when you're famous it can be kind of fun…'_

'_You're a dumb bitch, but haven't quite discovered…'_

'_Who would have thought that a girl like you…'_

'_Could be mistaken for a super star-rrr!' _

Yugi thrashed around on the couch mockingly playing on his imaginary air guitar, as the song's guitar solo whined in agony from the TV.

'_You're no-ooot talented!'_

'_You act like a ho…'_

'_Putting on a show!'_

'_I said you're no-ooot talented!_

'_Just mix slut and famous together,'_

'_And you'll get the playmate of the year!'_

The Hannah character laughed on the screen in an annoying 'Haha ha-ha!' way that grated on his every nerve…but then again, it hadn't taken much to irritate him that morning. _At least she found his insults amusing._

He slumped back against the couch, disinterested in the crappy sitcom that was obviously made just for girls, _though he couldn't believe that they would watch it themselves_, and was too caught up in how much he resented it, to notice that Yami was slowly making his way up to him from behind, having finally returned from Tea's apartment.

Smirking in pure amusement, Yami leant up against the doorframe of the living room's entrance with his muscular arms folded over his chest and ruby eyes alight with humour. "Hey keep it down in here _Hannah_, before our neighbours report that there's a wounded animal of sorts running around in the building, to the animal shelter."

Yugi jolted in surprise, not having expected an audience to his little 'performance.' "Holy fuck, Yami! What the hell? Have you just been standing there this whole fucking time, watching me while watching this shit?"

Yami shook his head. "I've got better things to do with my life…whereas you…" he glanced at the TV with a cocked eyebrow, "Apparently don't."

"I'm learning about the importance of _friendship_ and _family_ dumb ass, do you have a problem with that?" Yugi muttered in a very sarcastic tone, while he grudgingly turned his eyes back to the screen, catching a glimpse of Miley Cyrus _trying to act_.

"Me? Na, I actually think that making you watch a few more hours of this, is justice in its finest form…however, Miss 34 might disagree." Yami had never made an effort to get to know his neighbours on a personal level, preferring to keep a solitary life from them, which inadvertently made him a rather ideal neighbour to most of the tenants that lived on his floor, as he was quiet and never disturbed them…yet for some unknown reason, the woman that occupied number 34, was always on his case, and there was no doubt in his mind that in due time she would be banging on his door demanding that he either shut-up or move out, _again_.

Yugi turned and grinned at him slyly, with a knowing, mischievous glint in his scarlet eyes, "Don't worry about number 34, she got laid, _and probably still is_, an hour ago…And by the _sound_ of it, I think she'll be in a _pretty_ good mood for a _pretty_ long time…" He winked, before doing an almost awkward-seeming cat like stretch and slid off the couch.

Yami raised an eyebrow, but decided that he didn't want to know any further than that, as just the mere _involuntary_ thought of hearing his haggish neighbour sharing such intimacy, was enough to make him shudder in terror. However, his thoughts quickly returned to something that he had wanted to confront Yugi about as he glanced around his living room…

"I '_like_' what you did to my apartment…"

Yugi smiled innocently. "Oh yeah?" he took a small, nervous step backwards. "It's great huh? Totally you! Practically screams vir-_rrr_-_gin_!" he squeaked the last word out as Yami effortlessly yanked him off the floor by the scruff of his collar, glaring at him sinisterly while holding him up with just one hand.

During his few hours of boredom the previous day, Yugi had meant to play a 'little' joke on Yami, which he had to admit, probably wasn't the best idea he had ever had. He had drawn rather…explicit…pornographic pictures on the apartment's dull shaded walls, in which he used teddy-bears and Hello-Kitty characters as his pornographic objects, cutely adding little smiling flowers and a bright beaming sun, getting high and dirty with a few clouds. It was a work of art in his opinion, yet in Yami's, it was the kind of warning sign that would have had him put in rehab for sex addiction.

"Get this shit off my walls!" Yami growled menacingly, with an unspoken, '_or else_,' threat evident in his tone…which Yugi _naturally_ couldn't help but push.

"Or…?"

"You _really_ don't want to know…" Yami finished off for him.

Yugi couldn't help but grin. What was Yami going to do? _Tickle him to death_? He began to chuckle in Yami's hold and met his eyes challengingly, "Make me!"

Yami grinned sinisterly in response. "Okay…!"

- - (**Five minutes later**)- -

"No! No! Fuck! Okay! Okay! I'll do it! I'll fucking clean- mmmllluuuullull- Ah! What the fuck is the matter with you! Mmmmooowwwmullmlll!" Yami had Yugi by his legs over the bath tub, dipping him into the water with a highly amused smirk across his face. His younger twin, who was up to his elbows in ice-cold water, thrashed helplessly around in mid air trying to break free, but his efforts were in vain. "Stop it Ra damn it! I'm not a fuc- mmwooollullllmmmuuulll! Yami for fucks sake!"

"Alright I think you'll make a good wash rag enough…let's start cleaning," Yami announced cheerfully, as he effortlessly yanked Yugi out of the tub, dripping wet, and began to make his way to the living room, while Yugi thrashed around, upside down, in protest.

"You are not going to use me as a fucking mop you bastard!"

"Oh really?" Yami asked rhetorically with an edge of amusement.

"Put me down you fucking retard!"

"Fine!" Yami released Yugi's legs and watched him splat head first, hard, onto the carpeted ground, which created a loud thud that seemed to echo loudly through the semi-empty apartment.

For a moment Yugi lay on the ground motionless with a thoughtful expression as Yami grinned down at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm…I wonder if that would have hurt if I was still a human?" Yugi asked curiously, his large eyes following Yami wearily as he stepped over his body, and made his way to the front door, opening it before the person on the other side had a chance to knock.

Startled, she jumped back, a hand instinctively reaching up to cover her heart, as she regarded him in his sudden and unexpected appearance, "Uh, s-sorry, you just surprised me-" her eyes widened as she took in his appearance. A spark of recognition soon replaced the surprise in her eyes, and suddenly there was fiery emotion of accusation that dwelled darkly within her dark orbs. "Oh you have got to be frikin kidding me! You live here too?"

Yami raised an eyebrow and stared at the vaguely familiar girl who he was sure he had seen, but never met before, "Uh…sorry?"

She took a step back and looked him up and down, seeming to be more confused than he felt, "What the hell happened to you? Did you overdose on steroids or something, you're way taller than I last remembered you been…and you sound different."

"That's because he has a carrot shoved up his ass and possibly, dropped-testicle-syndrome," Yugi commented as he shoved passed Yami, with a warm, mischievously-friendly smile, "Hello Razzy, I wasn't expecting you to rock up right at my front door today. If I had known ahead of time I would have at least set the bedroom up nicely."

Razz glared at him irritably, "Trust me this is just a sick coincidence that I ended up here and nothing more, if I never see you again afterwards it would be too soon!" She turned her dark eyes to Yami, and once again a confused yet curious look took place within them. "Um…Hi! Sorry about earlier, I uh, mistook you for…_him_."

Yami had to fight back a grin, secretly knowing that she had meant to say '_this frikin idiot_' instead of _him_. He smiled at her kindly with a simple understanding nod, "Don't mention it."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Guess I should do the formalities. Razzy, this is my…uh, _older_ brother…Idiot, also known as Yami, _and Idiot_, this is Razz, the girl that is totally in-to-me, but won't admit it yet." He then elbowed Yami in the side, which shoved him completely out of the way, and quickly shut the door behind him, "Now give us some privacy."

Razz gaped at the action before glaring at him. "Well that was very _charming_ of you Yugi," she said sarcastically.

Yugi shrugged casually with a relaxed and irresistible grin as he leant back against the closed door, "Well I couldn't have him hanging around, and interfering with our '_by chance_' '_romantic moment'_ now, could I?" There was an evident hint of sceptic sarcasm in his voice, which Razz couldn't decide if it was directed at her suggestion of coincidence, or the fact that it could have been viewed as some sick romantic twist of fate that was often stereotypical of cheesy romance novels.

She rolled her eyes, "You really don't learn do you? Nor do you seem to have the brain cells to register that I think that you are a total, frikin, moron! Get a clue buddy I hate you!"

"Hate, just by the way…is a word of passion," Yugi whispered lowly before giving her a cocky wink.

"So is murder," she retorted through a tight, but cold smile, before dropping her voice to an almost inaudible tone to mock his whisper, "Just by the way."

Yugi smirked amusedly, starting too really like this girl, "Now that, is my kind of romance!"

She rolled her eyes, about to retort something equally foul when she noticed for the first time that he was drenched from his head to his waist. Her eyes travelled down his length curiously with a raised eyebrow, taking note that his black sleeveless shirt clung tightly to his torso, revealing a very well-built, toned chest…

She hastily removed her gaze from his torso and met his eyes, doing her best to remain composed and natural, fighting back against a blush that was threatening to burn onto her cheeks. "Why the hell are you so wet?"

He seemed to ponder over this for a moment before an evil smirk danced over his lips, "Woke up from an awesome dream about you…"

She gave him a disgusted look, though he noticed that a light blush had burnt its way onto her cheeks. "Uhg! You're such a-"

"Sick, twisted, little freak? Pervert? _Fucker_?" Yugi suggested with an amused smirk. "Don't bother, I've been called everything under the bright Egyptian sun, insults have never worked on me, and probably never will."

"Why? Is it because you have to live with yourself at the end of each day?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it _live_, but no. I am who I am, so why should I change?"

"Cute philosophy, but in your case, I'd definitely recommend a makeover, and probably a new inspirational quote that you didn't swipe off the net," Razz stated coldly, as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Come on Razzy, you don't really want me to change do you?" Yugi said through a tight, highly amused grin.

Razz just glared at him, her expression remaining blank, as she safeguarded her thoughts from him.

Yugi's grin softened slightly as he lifted himself off his leaning post, tired of playing around with her for the time being, as her presence hadn't exactly helped him with his _situation_, but instead, agitated it further. "Well, if I really am so unbearable to be around with, in desperate need of a major personality makeover, and our meeting was in fact a – and I quote – _sick coincidence_…then what exactly are you doing here?"

Razz growled and turned away from him, "None of your business."

"I could help you, you know...after all I do kind of live here."

Razz snorted, "Please, spare me!" Her eyes rested back on his drenched top half, seeming to linger particularly on his chest, before returning them to his dark ruby ones. "You don't look like you can help yourself...I think I'll take my chances."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Fine, be that way, I'll go back to what I was doing before you arrived, while you wonder around this apartment building aimlessly looking for whomever it was you were looking for, before. See you."

He shut the door behind him, and was immediately confronted by his brother who was leaning his back against the wall with his arms folded, giving him a condescending glare. "You're helpless you know that."

Yugi shrugged carelessly and made his way over to the kitchen while Yami followed close behind. He made his way over to the freezer and pulled out one of the blood filled plastic bags with a huge 'B' positive stamp on the front and sat on top of the counter, while Yami made his way over to the one, of the dining nook-type-thing's, chairs and sat down, giving Yugi a curious look as he did so, taking note of something _strange_ in his behaviour, but shrugged it off instantly, deciding his younger twin was just having one of his many off days and went on with what he hadn't wanted to say earlier.

"You know, if you treat girls like that, you're going to be single for the rest of your life," Yami advised wisely.

"Is that fact supposed to scare me?" Yugi mused, taking a long sip from his liquid meal, before giving Yami a mocked thoughtful expression, "Hmm…let's see. An eternity of having complete freedom to do what I like and please, with new and hot chicks on a daily basis, without any obligation or responsibility to one particular, whiney and needy female that will most definitely have certain expectations of me, and will most definitely grow boring after some time, not to mention will bruise my sexual appetite because - and I hope you realise this Yami - _they stop wanting it_! Hmm gee…being single for the rest of my life sounds terrifying!"

Yami rolled his eyes, unsurprised by Yugi's reply. "You keep telling yourself that Yugi, however, I can tell that you like her more than you're willing to let on."

He gave Yami a blank look as he sucked on his meal, pausing only briefly to answer him. "Sounds like wishful thinking on your part."

"Probably is."

Yugi rolled his eyes, but decided to answer Yami's half-unspoken question anyway, "It's not 'like' per say, it's more…_interest_. It's all a game, and in the end, I'm going to win." There was something chilling about his words, which were masked in an eerie riddle that disturbed Yami, but he knew enough about Yugi's habits to get the just of what the rules and objectives of his _game_ entailed.

"She's not a toy Yugi," Yami said, giving his brother a very disapproving glare.

"Toys break Yami, and I definitely have no intention, nor ever did, about breaking her. You always jump to such horrible conclusions about me," Yugi said with a roll of his eyes, chucking his empty blood-bag into the trash can across the room with perfect accuracy. "I just want to _play_ with her a little."

"Listen Yugi, I know that this may come as a surprise to you, considering the _type_ _of girls_, you usually go after…but there are some girls that like to lead a _clean_ life. Now if she is one of these girls, seducing her may not be such a good idea. You could seriously-"

"Hurt her? Break her?" Yugi sighed dramatically with a roll of his eyes, "And right after I just told you that that was NOT my intention."

"It doesn't need to be your intention Yugi; it can still have the same negative after-effect. Humans are fragile creatures," Yami argued.

"Does she look or even sound fragile to you?" Yugi questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…no…not really, but still-"

"Hey bro, just chill okay, Razz is quite capable of taking care of herself, rather focus on your own girlfriend's fragility instead. I told you that I wasn't going to hurt Razz, so you have nothing to worry about. All I want to do is have some fun with her, that's it, nothing more…_Humans are friends_ – _not food_! Right?" Yugi grinned, holding his hand up as though reciting a pledge.

Yami rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, before leaning back in his seat, "Whatever floats your doomed, makeshift raft, Yugi. All I can say is good luck, because without your powers and your – _if I_ _may say_ – horrifying social skills…A girl like Razz, is more likely to remove your testicles in your sleep than fall for you."

"Think I'm in over my head?" Yugi grinned.

Yami looked him up and down, taking Yugi's form into account with a raised eyebrow, "Most things are over your head Yugi."

* * *

Tea was glad that she had managed to get to work before the downpour practically drenched the city. She had only just placed herself behind the glass counter when a loud crack of thunder shattered the early morning's silence, and within seconds, rain cascaded from the blackened skies.

"Wow, how was that for timing?" Tea chuckled as she performed her necessary preparations for a day's work.

Mr. Hardwick strolled out the back room holding a rather large, bulky looking box in his arms with a tobacco pipe securely held in his lips that were strained into a tight smile. He placed the box down on the left side of the counter and took a deep breath before removing the pipe from his mouth and chuckled. "Indeed! A minute longer and you would have been soaked to the bone, Love."

Tea moved over to his side and began helping him take out and arrange the new displays for the customers, which was probably the best part of her job. He often allowed her to be as creative as she liked, giving her only a few basic instructions and guidelines, before leaving her to do her own thing. Today however, he decided to join her, which she never minded, as Mr. Hardwick was probably one of the most, easiest people to work with.

They worked in comfortable silence for several minutes, while he hummed an unfamiliar tune, which he usually invented himself, until he eventually broke it with a question that had been circling his mind for a long while, "How is that lovely young man of yours doing?"

She blushed lightly and struggled to fight back a sheepish grin, as an image of Yami that morning flashed through her mind. She had woken up before he did earlier that morning, snugly placed in his arms, and spent a good, long hour, just watching him sleep, noting more loveable things about him, such as how his tan glowed in the dim morning light, or the way his eyelids would flinch every now and then when he'd dream, and found herself listening to his soft, almost inaudible, breathing, which almost lulled her into a trance. "Uh, he's doing well…Um; I actually think he's starting to like it here now."

"Ah yes that's wonderful, I just hope that this type of weather doesn't scare him off," Mr. Hardwick chuckled as he carefully arranged a necklace on a plaster neck-model.

"Oh I don't think he can be scared off easily Mr. Hardwick, especially by the weather," she said softly, before smiling warmly as she placed a fake rose in-between her engagement ring display.

"That's very good to know Love. Where is he from by the way?"

"Um…Egypt," Tea said a little hesitantly, careful not to give too much information out about him, since he had told her that he had more enemies _unknown_ than particularly _known_ at this point in time.

"Ah!" Mr. Hardwick exclaimed in wonder, "Now that's definitely something! I haven't given the 'Land of the Pharaohs' much thought since ole Solomon's daughter went there several years ago."

"Solomon? You mean, Mr. Mutou, from the Turtle Game Shop down the street?" Tea asked curiously.

"Yes that would be the old chap," Mr. Hardwick confirmed with a small nod.

"I didn't know he had a daughter," Tea said in surprise, her gaze turning thoughtful. She didn't know Mr. Mutou very well; he only came in every now and again to have tea with Mr. Hardwick, and would sometimes chat to her about the different kind of games he sold. He was a very friendly old man, but seemed like the lonely type, never mentioning family or much about himself and his background. However, Tea had once overheard him while talking to Mr. Hardwick about being an explorer in his youth.

"Ah yes-" Mr. Hardwick was interrupted by the sweet, welcoming chime of the bell as a customer entered through the doors, almost making Tea cringe. There was only one person that usually came in at this hour…one person that she hated more than anyone else in the world…and that was-

"Well speak of the devil!" Mr. Hardwick cried out in delight.

Tea glanced in the doorway's direction, both shocked and relieved to see none other than Mr. Mutou himself walk in, while fidgeting with his raincoat and chuckling lowly. "Morning Ian, thought I'd drop in and say hello, hope I'm not disturbing anything."

"You are always welcome to drop in at anytime my dear friend," Mr. Hardwick smiled kindly as he manoeuvred around the glass counter to shake the old man's hand.

"Thank you Ian," Mr. Mutou smiled in return, before turning his gaze on Tea, "Ah, good morning Tea, sorry about my poor manners, how have you been dear?"

"Not at all Mr. Mutou, good morning! I've been great sir, and you?" she greeted cheerfully, thanking her lucky stars that it hadn't turned out to be Serena.

"Very well thanks!" Mr. Mutou smiled, "I believe you got accepted by that fancy Ballet Academy uptown. Congratulations dear that was very well deserved."

Tea blushed brightly. It seemed that Mr. Hardwick was quite a gossip when the occasion called for it. "Uh…t-thank you, Mr. Mutou, that's very sweet of you to say."

"Let's go to the back and have a lovely cup of tea," Mr. Hardwick suggested, guiding Mr. Mutou gently by the shoulder in the back room's direction.

"Ah yes, sounds lovely, will it be that marvellously delicious jasmine tea that you served me last time?"

Mr. Hardwick nodded and laughed, "Of course!"

Tea smiled and waved the old men off, noticing for the first time that Mr. Mutou's eyes _seemed familiar_…

- (**Later**) -

A few hours had passed by uneventfully, and pretty soon Tea was preparing to lock up shop. She began locking up the glass cabinets first, pausing briefly to dust away thin layers of dust, and then continued on from where she left off, enjoying the relatively peaceful and silent atmosphere that the shop always had during 'closing-time.' She smiled as went on to lock the last cabinet, her thoughts turned elsewhere and not paying enough attention to anything else around her…_when the bell above the door chimed_.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but we're about to clo-" her eyes widened in fear, as the very last person she had ever wanted to see again, entered the store. She edged her way to the side of the counter, contemplating on dashing behind it to put some distance between them, but realized that it would have only trapped her. "U-uh s-store's closed."

"That's okay, I didn't wanna buy anything." The figure took an intimidating step forward, "Just came to talk to you, that's all."

Tea shook her head furiously and took several steps backward, "I don't want to talk to you…s-so I t-think it's best t-that you l-leave…"

A wide sadistic smirk curled onto her pursuer's lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"Domino City is a fucking crap bucket in hell! What the fuck?" Yugi growled as rain poured from the sky. He leant up against a pillar and stared at the grey clouded sky above him, with an incredibly bored and defeated look on his face, as Yami munched on some potato chips beside him.

"What the hell is your problem now?" Yami grumbled in response before crunching another tomato flavoured chip.

"I'm fucking _bored_, _wet_ and_ irritated_, that's what!"

Yami swallowed and turned his gaze to Yugi in concern. His brother was unusually moody this evening and had just about snapped at every little possible discomfort or unfortunate occurrence that he could find. "Jeez is it that time of the month or something?" Yami commented dryly.

"Fuck you," Yugi grumbled, as he attempted to shift into a more, comfortable pose, appearing rather uncomfortable and tense.

Yami narrowed his eyes, "Are you alright? You seem pretty-"

"Yeah I'm fucking fantastic!" Yugi grumbled irritably, before practically shoving himself off the pillar and made his way back into the store they had just come out of. "I'll be right back."

Yami watched him leave with a baffled expression, deciding to shake his younger twin's unusual mood swings off with a shrug. He had grown used to his twin's mood swings that took place occasionally for often no apparent reason at all, after having shared a room with him for _sixteen years_, in which they used to sort out their disputes by constantly throwing things at each other, until they '_matured_' and grew to tolerate each other's _differences_. Yami would find out what was wrong with him after he had calmed down a little.

He was about to stick another chip into his mouth, when an all too familiar and irritating voice halted all his actions…

"O-M-G! Yami is that you!" her sugary sweet voice held a high pitched squeal of surprise that created a very forceful urge within him, to ground his teeth together, which he manage to struggle off with years of skill he had acquired after being forced to co-exist with _Dendera_ in the confinement of the tomb. He turned around slowly to face someone who he found to be worse than her however, and forced a smile.

"Yip," he said in an almost flat voice, though he was somewhat tempted to point in Yugi's direction and send her the other way. "Hi."

"Hey! Oh, my gosh, it's so good to see you again! What were the chances we'd end up meeting here of all places?" she giggled annoyingly.

_Too good in your case_, he thought irritably, but continued to smile at her politely. "Yeah…what were the chances?" he rubbed the back of his head, loosening some of his back muscles in the process. "How are you doing…uh…S-sss-Sabrina right?"

He watched secretly amused as her mouth twitched in its flirtatious smile. "Uh, actually it's Serena, remember?" she giggled in strained amusement, obviously only pretending to find his error funny.

'_Not really, and in thirty seconds I'm going to conveniently forget it again,' _he thought to himself secretly and smiled. "Sure, sorry about that..._Selena_"

"No, no, Ser-ena! I've got a R in my name," she giggled stupidly.

"Oh, right...sorry about that."

"Oh no, don't be, it happens right?" she laughed, flirtatiously flinging back a long, perfectly straight blonde strand of hair out of her eyes, which were like ice cold daggers. "How are you? Had enough of a feel for Domino City yet?"

"Quite well thanks, I suppose I have, it's quite an…unusual place. And you?"

"Oh, I'm awesome thanks! Just hate this rain," she rolled her eyes dramatically, "It doesn't do my hair any favours, nor my expensive Chanel or Levi collections! And don't even get me started on what it does to my incredibly expensive shoes, which were specially imported all the way from Paris!"

_Oh Ra when was she going to stop. _He had to bite his tongue to hold back an honest statement that was just begging him to be released, in which he would have just outright told her, 'Serena, I really don't care.' Why buy clothes from Paris anyway? He had seen plenty of clothes stores right here in Domino City._ And what the hell was a Chanel and Levi collection?_ "Oh…I couldn't imagine," he responded, his fake smile wavering slightly.

"Though I do suppose the rain is good for one thing… it makes a _perfect excuse for cuddling_," she smiled and winked at him in an evident flirtatious manner, though he ignored her advances, completely unfazed by them.

He nodded his head causally in response, "Yeah, I guess it does." If she had lived in the Egyptian Desert, where seeing rain was so rare, that Yami, whom had lived there practically his whole life and had only seen it fall a few times…_she wouldn't be so quick to mutter curses at it for damaging her overpriced shoes._

He heard the slight grind of her teeth, which was inaudible to human ears, and knew that his indifference towards her advances, was starting to get to her…_and he enjoyed it_. He did not like Serena's attitude towards Tea, or the unkind words that she secretly thought to call her by. However, it was the certain violent hostility that this girl had towards his girlfriend that he really didn't like, as well as her intention to hurt. And since it would have been all to simple to just label her as a _bitch_, Yami had to restrain and constantly remind himself that there was more to Serena than met the eye. _Everyone had a reason for the way they turned out._

An arm was suddenly flung around her waist and she was lifted up slightly off the ground in a not-so-gentle way and pulled into a one-armed, tight and awkward, embrace. "Hey babe!" A guy that was about the same height as Seto, _maybe an inch shorter_, greeted loudly, planting a rough kiss on her left cheek, before regarding Yami with defensive and suspicious eyes. "Sup dude!"

"Hi," Yami greeted with a nod, before Serena cut in.

"Ouch! Shane, you're hurting me! And you're messing up my hair!" she laughed, though Yami picked up on her irritation and sudden resentment she felt towards the oversized bully, which had yet to realize that she wasn't joking.

"Have we met before, you seem familiar?" Shane asked with darkened and jealous eyes.

Before Yami could answer, Serena nervously cut in. "Shane, baby, this is Yami, he's new in town and _a good friend of mine_," she winked at him, before turning back to her own boyfriend. "He's dating your ex, Tea, so be nice to him."

"Tea?" Shane asked with a totally confused expression, as though he had never heard of the name before in his entire life.

She nudged him in the side lightly with her elbow, "Tea Gardner! From school? You remember her right?"

Realization finally dawned on him. "Whoa! _That_ Tea? I never went out with her," he argued.

Serena shook her head and gave Yami a look before rolling her eyes playfully. "Well anyway, this is her new _boyfriend_."

Shane regarded Yami with an unusual look before offering him a hand to shake. "Cool. I'm Shane West, former quarterback of the Domino High's Ravens," he stated unnecessarily in a very proud tone.

"A pleasure," Yami acknowledged while politely shaking the fool's hand, and just as he had anticipated, Shane attempted to intimidate him by trying to almost crush his hand in a death grip, which Yami naturally retaliated by mimicking the same action…_only adding ten percent more pressure_. Shane's eyes bulged in their sockets and his lips parted slightly, as pain soared through his being. "I'm Yami, just Yami…no sport titles."

"Oh really? That's a surprise, you seem pretty _athletic_," Serena said in an overly friendly tone that masked her flirtation very well. She either hadn't noticed Shane's pained expression, or simply didn't care, seeming to be quite capable of both.

"I didn't stay in a team for very long," he explained, fighting back the urge to grin.

"Why, did you have commitment issues?" Shane all but growled through clenched teeth, as he inconspicuously cradled his sore hand.

"Not at all, just had more important things to do," Yami stated with a shrug.

Shane scoffed at Yami and gave him an incredulous look as though nothing in the world was more important than sport, but Serena decided to step in and stop the conversation right there and then. "So anyway, Yami, since you're new in Domino City I doubt that you've heard of the annual 'Light Night Festival' yet have you?"

Yami shook his head, "Afraid not."

Serena's bright blue eyes glowed with excitement, and he half expected her to jump up and down on the spot in delight, "Well its three months from now, and quite festive. If you're still in town around then, you have to come to my father's Ball Party, it's the most prestigious event of the year, everyone whose _anybody_, will be there, and I'll set you up as a VIP guest."

Yami struggled against the urge to grind his teeth together while in their presence, finding the name of this so-called_ prestigious event _to be rather ridiculous, 'Ball Party?' Sounded _real_ classy. "Sounds great…I'll have to see closer to the time."

Yami could practically sense Shane's black aura of negativity as jealousy began to cloud his better judgement. "Yeah it _is great_…and it operates on a strict _no-losers _policy," he stated unnecessarily through slightly clenched teeth, glaring at Yami warningly with light moss green eyes.

'_Poor guy must have felt very left out then_,' Yami thought secretly while fighting back a smirk.

"Oh shoot! My facial! Shane we've got to go, I have to be there in like five minutes!" Serena whined as she tugged on his arm.

"Sure babe, _anything_ and _everything_ for you," he said through a triumphant smirk, seeming to direct his words at Yami, who raised an eyebrow in response.

Serena didn't seem to take any notice and continued to tug him away, but not before giving Yami a very suggestive smile and wink, before blowing him a small kiss behind Shane's turned back. "See you soon Yami!" her sugary-sweet and low voice sang angelically, though her words were laced with a certain seductive charm that sent all too familiar chills of dread up his spine._ She reminded him too much of Dendera. _

Forcing himself to act accordingly, he forced a smile and politely waved back, hoping that that was the last time he would ever run into either of them, when Yugi finally emerged from the store, holding a medium sized paper bag that was filled to the top with different kinds of candy…and a pack of cigarettes!

Yami eyed the unusual combination with curiosity and concern, especially the pack of cigarettes. "Since when do you smoke? And why do you have candy?"

"Do I ask you about the things you buy? Huh? No! So fuck off!" Yugi grumbled moodily while he unwrapped a sugar-drop and stuffed it into his mouth, grimacing at the foreign taste and almost looked like he wanted to hurl it back up again.

Yami gaped at him in concern. _This was very unusual behaviour_. Fully fledged vampires, generally never ate food, since there diet only consisted of blood. Of course this didn't necessarily mean that they couldn't, it just wasn't necessary and highly unnatural…kind of like in the same way it was for a human to drink blood.

"Okay, enough of this bullshit, what the fuck's up with you?" Yami growled, losing his patience.

"Nothing damn it, I'm fine!" Yugi growled back, stuffing another sweet into his mouth.

Yami observed him more closely, taking note that Yugi was indulging in craving-things, and began to wonder if that was perhaps what his brother's problem was. "Are you…are you craving something Yugi?"

Yugi's jaw clenched, giving himself away immediately.

Yami smirked despite himself, "Don't tell me that drinking bagged-blood has taken a toll on you, it's only been a day-"

"Ha! I wish. This has got nothing to do with my new diet Yami! Fuck, if only it were that fucking simple you son of a bitch…Ra damn it, this shit tastes fucking terrible! How the hell does anyone eat this crap?" Yugi shoved the bag at Yami and clenched and unclenched his hands.

Yami eyed Yugi with wide surprised eyes, carefully pulling out a toffee-chocolate sweet and slowly slipped it into his mouth, before chewing it quietly. "Hmm…I don't know what you're complaining about it tastes just fine to me-"

"Shut up!" Yugi growled, turning his gaze away angrily. "Shouldn't you be heading over to your girlfriend round about now?"

Yami's eyes widened. "Oh shit, that's right…uh…are you coming?"

"I obviously don't have a life! So why not?" Yugi grumbled irritably as he stepped out into the rain, allowing it to run over him and soak into his skin.

Yami hopped off the sidewalk and dashed to his side, elbowing him playfully in the side, "Perks of being a vampire right?"

A hostile growl erupted up his younger twin's throat, before a plain, humourless smile crept to his lips, "You have no idea…"

* * *

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say James!" Tea growled venomously, her sapphire eyes glaring cold daggers at him.

"Wait baby, just hear me out okay! Look, I get that I haven't treated you right in the past, but I can change that 'kay? Just pretty please, give me anoth'a chance?" James pleaded with an almost genuine look of regret in his eyes, but the red - blood shot - corners that outlined his whites, did away with any pitying thought she had about the so called 'remorseful' man.

"I don't buy it James, get out!" she commanded angrily.

"Look Tina, baby…if ya come back I'll give ya an extra fifteen bucks an hour! Ye'll be the best paid waitress in Domino City, and an extra twenty if you work overtime, that's a good deal Honey T," James negotiated with an almost civilized tone, but Tea saw through it immediately.

Who was he kidding, sure it was a good deal enough for most of the morons that worked for him, but wasn't nearly worth it for putting up with his crap. "First of all, it's Tea! And second of all, I'm not interested, so you can just stick your offer. Now please leave, I have to lock up."

"Okay, okay…if you come back you'll get your raise and an additional three hundred if ya spend the night at my place," he winked at her before leaning forward, greatly invading her personal space.

"You're disgusting James! Get away from me! I'll never go back to you!" Tea screamed as she flung herself away from him, hitting her back hard against the glass counter.

James rolled his eyes, his expression seeming to lose all signs of patience. "Alright…no more mister nice guy," his hands flung up and grabbed her by the wrists, pinning them to her sides and shoved her down onto the counter in an awkward position. "_Tea_…I'm not going to beg you to come back to your job, you WILL come back! Just like you will ditch that little prick you've been fucking on the sly and come back to me, where you belong you little slut!"

Tea's heart thudded against her chest so hard that she feared it would explode. She was powerless against James, and to make it worst, completely alone. Mr. Hardwick had left earlier to accompany Mr. Mutou home, and she had no idea when Yami was going arrive, though she hoped it was soon. "Get off me!" she screamed.

He freed one of her wrists and used his free hand to slap her across the face, "Shut the fuck up! I came to claim back what is mine, and you Whore, belong to me! Now listen closely, I'll kill him, do you understand? I own the backstreets baby, I have rooted connections that run deep within the black market…don't think for one second that that little prick is safe."

Tea growled in frustration as she tried in vain to break free, until his venomous words sunk in. Although Yami had a powerful and strong vampiric side to him, he also had a vulnerable and weak human side that made it still possible for him to be killed just like any other mortal being, which meant that James' threat could therefore not be so easily ignored…

"Now come along with me, and no one will get hurt…okay?" James whispered through a triumphant smirk, as he began to gaze down onto her breasts, a look of lust swirling within his bloodshot eyes. "Don't worry baby, _I'll make you scream my name louder than he ever could_."

She had no idea what came over her the moment she heard those words. It was as though _someone_ or _something_ else had taken control over her body and forced commands in her mind. Her knee came up without a single conscious thought behind its action, and connected with his lower region with an almost shattering force, sending James straight to his knees, howling with pain as she made a run for it to the back door of the store.

The back door led straight into an alley way, which she hurried down, without looking back, jumping over discarded cardboard boxes and random objects, almost falling over several times in the process. She heard the store's metal back door slam open behind her and didn't have to look back to know that James was coming after her. Feeling frightened tears fall from her eyes, she forced herself forward, running as fast as her legs could take her. She had just made it out of the alleyway when she hit into a solid object and almost bounced off backwards, but two arms reached out and grabbed her, stopping her from falling over.

"Ah!" she screamed, thrashing in his grip, "Let go!"

"Tea! Tea! Calm down, it's just me!" Yugi's frantic voice called to her.

She took in a deep breath as their eyes met, and suddenly she couldn't help but dive into his arms and wail out her fear, "Oh god, Yugi, it's you! I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry!"

Yugi wrapped his arms around her a little hesitantly and gently brushed a few strands of her hair, making shushing noises as she cried onto his shoulder, awkwardly standing a little higher than him. "Hey, hey, it's okay, don't cry…salt's not good for leather you know?"

She sniffled and immediately pulled back, wiping her tears away, and forced a small smile, "Sorry about that."

Yugi gave her a small, sympathetic smile of his own, "Hey don't mention it. You okay?"

"Y-yeah…I-I'm okay, just-"

Her heart almost halted in mid-beat as she caught glimpse of him, slowly strolling down the sidewalk towards them, before his soothingly powerful voice held her entire being hostage. "There you are, sorry about being late we were…" Yami looked over at Tea in concern, halting in mid sentence as he took in her tear stains and bruised wrists, and rushed over to her side at an inhuman speed grasping her shoulders tightly. "Tea? What happened?"

She flinched involuntarily at the contact and shuddered, gulping down a lump that had formed in her throat. "J-James…he was here."

"That idiot from the-"

"Did he touch you?" Yami interrupted, his eyes blazing in rage.

Tea bit her lip and nervously glanced away suddenly afraid of him.

"Yami, calm down," Yugi commanded half-heartedly, his tone casual and relaxed, "The fu-uh- I mean, _fudging_ idiot, couldn't have got far on his two little human legs…bet the wanker's close by-"

"No!" Tea cried, her eyes both pleading and terrified, as she gripped onto Yami. "H-he didn't hurt me…please, he's not worth it. Let's just go home."

Yami breathed in deeply, struggling for control over his raging anger that was peeling through his every nerve. "Tea…" he said in a very strained and low voice.

At that moment Yugi felt someone watching them, and turned to look behind him. There was no one suspicious in particular that he could pin point as the culprit, but he definitely felt a pair of hostile eyes, gazing bullets directly at them from somewhere in an inconspicuous manner, stalking their movement a little too closely for his liking. He immediately did a quick sensory survey of the area to see if they were been watched by a vampire, but felt nothing. He would have shrugged it off as simply a curious bystander that noticed the commotion that had taken place within their little gathering, but the gaze on them felt too threatening and hostile to be ignored.

"Yami, let's get Tea inside," Yugi suggested gently, as he took a step to the side where he was out of Tea's range of sight and winked at his older twin. _'Dude, the fucker goes to the same place every night…we'll pay him a visit soon enough, but right now, oh big and responsible brother of mine, I think we should focus on de-traumatizing her and not make it worse.'_

Yami ground his teeth together as he pulled Tea into a protective embrace, holding her tightly in his arms while giving Yugi a look of resentment. He hated it when Yugi, _the troublemaker and rebellious one_ of the two, actually made sense…_It just wasn't how things were supposed to operate_. With a deep sigh, he decided to calm down and tend to Tea first, but he was definitely far from leaving things be… vowing intently that he would make James pay for this.

He took Tea's hand gently and began to guide her back to the store, fighting back the urge to track James down and…he didn't quite know what would happen after that. "Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?"

Tea nodded and forced a smile, "No, just a little shaken up."

"Oh! I know what she needs-"

"No!" both he and Tea said at once, small genuine smiles creeping onto the corners of their mouths.

Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes, "Jeez, whatever."

He followed close behind them as they made their way back into the shop, his dark, scarlet eyes turned in a half-lidded glare to the side. He could still feel those hostile eyes on them…cold and heartless, with a kind of hungry desire, something that felt so unnatural and soulless…yet the scariest thing was…_it was definitely human._

* * *

It had been a rather long day for both of them, and without thinking much about it, Tea had dragged Yami into her apartment, wanting his touch more than anything she had ever wanted in her life. Perhaps it was the egotistical idea James had had, believing that he was a better lover than Yami, and she wanted to prove him wrong, even though she already knew that that had been already established…or perhaps she just needed the closeness that they shared…whatever it was, it brought them into her small, cluttered living room, where nothing else in the world seemed to exist but the lover that stood before the other.

Yami gently clasped her wrists, massaging the bruises James had made, and pulled her into an embrace, moving his hands up her back to rub small patterns along her skin, while treating her neck to gentle, caressing kisses. She moaned in contempt and ran her hands up his rock hard chest, sending pleasurable chills through his body as her gentle motions increasingly turned him on. Dangerous thoughts about having her squirming beneath him, influenced his advances, and his hands, with a mind of their own, made their way down her back, and sneakily slid under her shirt.

Tea didn't think that it was fair and immediately began to tug at his shirt wanting it off him. He pulled away from her slightly, and smirked down at her with an incredibly mischievous glint in his scarlet eyes that seemed much wilder tonight than they ever had before. "Eager are we?"

She trailed her index finger from the hollow of his collar bone and down his chest making her way dangerously low and stopped torturously at his belt buckle. "Extremely," she whispered seductively, her eyes holding a wild glint of their own.

Yami bent down and caught her lips with his as she began to slowly pull up his shirt. Their kiss grew more passionate and somewhat violent as the need for each other began to burn brighter within them. Every touch, every moan, every kiss, set their hormones racing and Yami was on the verge of losing control and simply ripping off her clothes, and take her there and then, when…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Oh, little pig, little pig! Let me in!" Yugi's voice called out from behind the door annoyingly.

Yami ground his teeth together irritably and breathed out a _frustrated_ sigh. Yugi would choose to interrupt at the most inconvenient of times. He still held Tea close to him as he turned his fiery, glaring gaze at the door. "Piss off!"

It was silent for several minutes, before Yugi responded with an equally annoying chant, "Well then I'll huff, and then I'll puff, and then I'll blow the door down!"

Tea giggled as she pried Yami's arms off her, giving him a regretful look before straightening her shirt and making her way towards the door, leaving Yami who pouted after her, to stand and glare at the door in which his younger brother stood safely on the other side, waiting for the little shit to enter his domain. _He would make Yugi suffer for this._

Once he stepped through the doorway, Yugi smiled kindly at her. "Hey Tea, you look lovely and beautiful as always," he winked at her, before turning his gaze to Yami and openly grimaced. "Yikes, as for you brother, I think maybe a visit to a good plastic surgeon would do you some good…_or a good accident_."

Tea rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't you have something useless to do with your free time?" Yami muttered irritably, wanting to get back to where he and Tea had left off, especially since his lower member had somewhat swelled with anticipation.

Yugi, genuinely oblivious, shook his head. "Nope! So I decided to come spend some time with you guys…_family_ _is important after all_."

Yami inwardly growled. He was going to kill Yugi later.

"Oh that's so sweet Yugi," Tea smiled, "Why don't we have a movie night?"

Yugi grinned at her, "Awesome! What are we going to watch?"

Yami's eyes widened as an idea came to him, which he almost dismissed, but decided this would be the perfect revenge. "I've got an idea…" he walked over to Tea and hugged her from behind, whispering something in her ear to which she grinned at in response.

"Okay!" she said enthusiastically, practically sprinting over to set the DVD player up.

Yugi watched after her curiously, before glancing back at Yami who wore an evil smirk on his face. The sight made him slightly uncomfortable, and suddenly he knew something was up. "What's going on?"

"We're going to watch a movie…and _YOU WILL_ watch it with us."

He brushed off Yami's chilling tone with a casual shrug and stepped into the living room, smiling cheerfully as his gaze fell on her crouched form, while she skilfully worked with the DVD player. Yami on the other hand made himself comfortable on the couch and shot Yugi a rather 'disturbing' look that made him somewhat a little nervous, though he refused to show it. "S-sooo Tea…what's tonight's entertainment?"

Tea smiled up at him sweetly, "Oh it's one of my favourite movies!"

An odd warning sensation began to alarm his senses. "Oh really, well then I'm sure I'm going to love it! What's it called?"

Yami smirked and gave a simple, "Humph," which was too soft for _human_ ears to detect.

"Twilight!"

_Oh dear Ra, no! _

This "Twilight" bullshit was the bane of every vampire's existence, _and a personal pain in his ass_. Rebecca's friend, the girl that he killed, had practically driven him insane _the second_ she discovered what he was, and had said something about having changed her name to one of the movie's characters, which he took a wild guess and assumed was 'Alice'…_whoever the fuck that was. _His recent victims also seemed to have a fixation with this 'Edward' character, and one brain-dead bimbo actually asked him knew the Cullen's personally. Now there was something even worse out; a crossbreed of JRR Tolkien's – Lord of the Rings – and Twilight…something about vampires and a journal of sorts, in which rings could be worn by the vampires to enable them to walk around on the surface during daylight hours without frying to a crisp…

Yugi nervously rubbed the back of his head taking a small, barely conspicuous step sideways, hoping to make a hasty retreat. "Oh…well in that case-"

Yami rushed up behind him, in a movement too quick for human eyes to process, and held him to the spot in a firm grip. "Oh, no you don't!" he rasped softly, making sure that Tea couldn't hear him. "If I have to suffer, then YOU WILL SUFFER WITH ME!"

Tea glanced behind her, smiling at the boys cheerfully as she pressed the start button. "I'll go make some popcorn quick, don't start without me!"

The boys nodded enthusiastically, each smiling cheerfully until she left the room. Both their smiles dropped into snarls and each gave their opposite a hostile glare.

"You're not going to last ten fucking minutes!" Yami growled challengingly.

"Wanna fucking bet?"

"Game on!" both said at the same time, each giving the other a challenging gaze as they made their way to their designated locations in the living room. Yami on the loveseat, which he would share with Tea, and Yugi made himself comfortable on the floor just between Yami and Tea's unoccupied space…

- -(**few minutes into the movie**)- -

At first the movie seemed to start out okay…but then things were getting weird.

"Are those the vampires?" Yugi asked as he watched the scene in which each vampire was introduced by one particular air-headed appearing character.

"Yip, those are the vampires," Tea answered through a smile.

"Why are they so pale?"

"Because they're…well…_vampires_ Yugi," Tea said in an obvious tone, giving Yugi a questioning look.

"Oh…I like the blonde one," Yugi commented as he eyed the super hot female _vampire_.

- -**X**- -

"Wait a sec…these vampires…have venom in their fangs?" Yugi asked in a rather bored tone. _This had to be a joke._

Tea nodded, "Yip, that's how they turn other humans into vampires...though they don't actually have fangs."

"Dear Ra, what next?..._And just when I thought they couldn't tarnish our race any further than making them sparkle like fucking disco balls," _Yugi mumbled lowly.

"At least they look better than you ever will, in sunlight," Yami retorted immediately before Tea could jump to her favourite movie's defence.

"I'd rather turn to ash than be compared to a gay pair of seventies bellbottoms!"

Yami shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Whoa, poor Eddy's suffering a major boner right now," Yugi observed, while watching the scene in which Edward and Bella's make-out session began to get carried away.

Yami bonked Yugi on the head hard enough to make a light thud, to which Yugi flinched in response to. He turned around and gave his older twin a vengeful glare, promising that sometime in the near future he would get him back for that, but Edward's sudden fast-paced movement brought him back to the screen. Yugi was surprised to see him backed up against the wall, breathing heavily. "What now, did he suddenly grow conscious of the fact that his dick equals the length of his pinky?"

Yami growled under his breath, "Yugi just shut up and watch the frikin movie."

'_Life's too short!' _Yugi's mental voice retorted dryly.

"_Well aren't you glad then that you've got a lot of it_?" Yami retorted back in a sarcastic whisper.

Yugi just smirked.

* * *

He had had just about enough he could stomach of Twilight, and was probably mentally scarred for the rest of his life. The only thing he found worth watching was who he believed should have been the main character, _Rosalie_…the hot blonde vampire with a real _bite_ to her name. His ego had been severely bruised when he got a good look at Edward…played by an actor named…_Bob Pattinson_? _Whatever_ – the point was…girls went crazy over this guy! And Yugi couldn't help but ask…_why_? Besides height, _which he was constantly reminded that he lacked severely_ _of_, what did this guy have that he didn't? Hell, Yugi even had more of a tan than his pale, totally washed out, _bleached,_ complexion…_and he also didn't glitter like a Ra damn fairy princess._

He stopped under a tall street lamp that barely gave enough of a glow to attract a single moth, and leant up against it, pulling out his packet of cigarettes from his back pocket as well as a lighter. Yeah, smoking was definitely a first for him, as he had never, _and still didn't_, find the taste or the smell, all that delightful. However, desperate times, called for desperate measures…and man, _these were desperate times. _He stuck a cigarette into his mouth and lit it, skilfully flinging the lighter up and catching it in the opposite hand behind his back, where he immediately slid it into his back pocket - all while taking his first puff.

The streets were strangely empty for a change, probably due to the unpredictable weather, though he could hear a faint tune of sorts coming from somewhere close by but out of sight, as well as distant drunkard laughter and what sounded like something rustling around in a dumpster. He breathed in his cigarette, his mind wondering over the puzzle pieces that were slowly falling into place. So far, everything was going exactly as planned…except for a few minor _complications_ that he would deal with all in good time.

He smirked at the thought, and allowed his eyes to travel up to Tea's living room's window. They were expecting him back any minute now. Apparently a second movie of the Twilight franchise existed, _much to his absolute horror_, and according to Tea, it was a 'must-see.' _Bullshit_, there were plenty of 'must-sees' in this world, 'The Pyramid of Giza,' 'The Sphinx,' 'The Great Wall of China,' 'A Brooklyn strip-club,' and Yami under the influence...the glittering vamps, were not one of them.

He was about to put his cigarette out, when a sudden warning sensation hit his senses _powerfully_, alarming him of her presence before he caught sight of her. He glanced up in time to see her leap off a ledge that separated two, enormously tall, buildings, and fall gracefully to the ground, landing on both her feet in a perfect upright position, while her hair fell swiftly into place, covering her eyes and most of her face from him. He felt his mouth fall open, and in doing so, felt the cigarette fall from his lips, '_What the hell_?'

She was unlike anything he had ever seen before in his entire existence. Everything about her appearance practically screamed acclamation of purity and innocence…yet the blackened aura surrounding her, found typically in all vampires, suggested otherwise.

She remained unmoving and still, not even seeming remotely aware of his presence, as though caught in a dazed trance, which made Yugi slightly uncomfortable. It was common knowledge for those that were a part of the vampire race that one could never trust a vampire from another clan…but Yugi now had a special and personal issue with trusting unknown vampires, _particularly with white hair_.

"You want something?" he growled with an unfriendly and uninviting tone, glaring at the girl with cautious eyes.

She didn't answer him.

'_Guess not_,' Yugi thought to himself, before scanning the area with his sensory detectors, finding it unusual that she was alone to fend for herself. "Look, I'm not in the mood to scrub your blood off my leather tonight, so just get lost and don't show up around here ever again, do I make myself clear?"

She still refused to answer him, remaining unnaturally still, for a long, long time.

"What's with you? Can't speak English? Maybe, French? Spanish? Danish? German?" he was running low on patience, and contemplated on just ripping her apart for the sport of it…_anything to relieve him of these frustrations. _

Without answering, she began to slowly make her way towards him, her steps seeming small and hesitant, seeming to lack confidence, yet at the same time seemed weirdly casual. He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her boldness. Perhaps he too, gave her the impression of an innocent, fully aware of how his own appearance fooled many into believing him weak and harmless, when he was anything but. However, as understandable as it was, he would not let her mistake in judgement go by unpunished, and would teach her a valuable lesson about confronting a vampire in an incorrect form of conduct.

"Hey, look if you…" She stood before him, her eyes shadowed by a curtain of silky white bangs, with barely an arm's length of space between them, keeping her arms limply at her sides, still completely silent. _Was there something wrong with her?_ He suddenly felt himself stupidly letting his guard down, and instead of acting defensive, grew concerned about her…_mental_…wellbeing. His instinctive alarming senses demanded that he put distance between them, knowing how foolish it was to allow her to get this close…and yet…_she just looked too innocent_.

"Hey…are you okay?" he asked in a strained, not-totally-trusting tone, slightly – _for some unknown_ _reason_ – reaching out to her.

She halted his movements, with a slow, gentle motion of her own, taking him by surprise. She pointed a finger slowly at his chest, cocking her head slightly as though she was staring at something intently.

Curious as to what she was looking at, Yugi glanced down, not seeing anything out of the ordinary or particularly interesting, when she dealt him _an embarrassing assault_. In a movement so quick and totally unexpected, she thrust her finger up and flicked his nose annoyingly, though the power she held behind her action was enough to cause him pain.

"Ow Ra damn it! What the fuck!" Yugi hissed while clutching his nose, both embarrassed for falling for such a stupid prank and raging mad that she had dared to humiliate him in such a way.

Her lips formed into an almost cruel, sadistic smile, tinted with dark amusement, and Yugi swore that he heard a chuckle escape her. He was just about to wring her neck, when she threw her weight down to the ground, thrashing an arm out to the side to break her fall, and spun around on it like a break dancer, kicking his legs out from underneath him, in a movement so fast he hadn't seen it coming, until he was on lying on his back, on the cold damp tar, noticing for the first time that the stars were out…

_That was it_! Angrily, he thrust his body upwards and sped towards her at an incredible speed, before grasping her wrists roughly, and shoving her against a back-wall, causing the plaster to crack. "That's it, you're fucking de-"

Lamia didn't let him finish his death threat, and quickly showed him her dissatisfaction about being manhandled. Her knee, automatically thrust upward, at the force of a tiny, rocketing sledge-hammer, connecting with his manhood at an extremely painful price that sent Yugi to his knees immediately, squealing in an ungodly manner that somewhat drifted to Yami's sensitive hearing the minute he sat back against the couch…

He had just grown accustomed to the peace and quiet that had come with Yugi's absence, and even more so, the little bit of alone-time that it had allowed for him to share with Tea, stealing one or two kisses every now and again…however, he was suddenly alerted by the high pitch whine that breezed in through a slightly opened window. '_What the hell_?'

Tea looked up at him, "What's wrong?"

He heard Yugi's barely audible voice curse in tongues, sounding incredibly in pain, and decided he had better investigate. "Um, I'm not sure. Stay here for a sec, I just want to see what Yugi's up too."

She nodded without asking any questions before he hastily made his way towards the door and out the apartment at super speed, gaping in surprise when he saw Yugi crouched down on his knees, hissing under his breath and seeming red faced with dark rage. "Uh, Yugi what's-"

"Ra damn bitch!" Yugi hissed, muttering something else that sounded like a curse in Syrian.

Yami rushed towards him, gripping Yugi on the shoulders, "What happened?"

He shoved Yami's hands off him and growled, his red eyes literally glowing with a dim fiery light, and pin-pointed fangs flashed at the corners of his mouth, "What the fuck does it look like, I was attacked you dumb fuck!"

"By who?" Yami asked, as he glanced wildly around them, not seeing anyone at all.

"The new freak in town…some bitch with a fucking major wire loose!" Yugi growled angrily through clenched teeth.

"Where is she n-"

"Obviously she took off! Ra damn it Yami don't be a fucking dork!" Yugi bellowed in a very pained tone.

"You mean…you were put in this condition..._by a girl_?" Yami said, unable to resist the temptation.

"_FUCK YOU_!" Yugi said in an almost demonic and incredibly deep voice, taking a deep breath before he shot up to his feet and glowered angrily ahead of him, in which Yami assumed was the direction she had fled. "She can't be far, let's go!"

His body disappeared in a black, transparent mist, as he sped off after her, leaving a wide eyed and totally confused Yami, standing on the sidewalk. With only a moment's hesitation, he too soon sped off down the darkened streets, following close behind Yugi, who was almost impossible to trail after, not getting far when he sensed her presence.

Yugi sensed her too and darted off to the right, disappearing from sight, whereas Yami decided to remain where he was, _already predicting what was going to happen_. There was a tall wooden fence that separated the road from some back alley of one of the tall buildings that towered over him, providing the only exit from that side of the neighbourhood…

He waited patiently with his arms folded over his chest, listening to the two sets of running footsteps on the tarry road, identifying one as Yugi's, and the other's a more feminine, light weighted set, which was obviously the girl they were hunting down. He first heard a trash can slamming against something, then a loud bang and Ra awful screeching of metal sliding against something, and then finally saw a figure leap effortlessly over the fence.

He didn't have time to react, as she advanced onto him, throwing him backwards with a powerful shove. However, been an experienced fighter, he was able to back-flip in mid air and land on his haunches, skidding backwards until he came to a stop several feet away from her.

She launched at him at full speed, her movements far too quick and deadly for him to see properly, yet he managed to dodge her fatal claws and rocket-punches, though barely. She hissed in frustration, before slyly throwing her weight down as though imitating a wrestler's move, while kicking out, aiming at Yami's legs, which she planned to knock out from beneath him, but he was aware of her plan before she made it, and managed to dodge her attack yet again.

She flung her hand out to break her fall and spun around on it before flinging her body into an upright standing position, a mask of fury on her extremely pale skin. Her black eyes were merciless and cold, filled with hatred and cold anger, yet Yami couldn't help but double-take her appearance, which seemed so soft and gentle, almost angel like, compared to the monster that her eyes revealed her to be.

She was about to launch herself at him again, when Yugi intervened, dealing a hard blow to the back of her head, knocking her unconscious.

Yami quickly caught her body, before it hit the ground, and shot Yugi a disapproving glare. "Was that necessary?"

Yugi glared at Yami darkly, "You would never have been able to take her on; not with your pathetic half-human body's strength…she would have killed you."

Yami turned his gaze on her fallen, lifeless-seeming form, knowing that Yugi was probably right. "Where did she come from?"

"No idea…not from Egypt though."

Yami observed her more closely, noting that although still young into her transformation, she had obtained quite a great deal of strength. "She's still quite young, probably a year or two into her transformation…not much younger than you."

Yugi sniffed sarcastically, before glaring thoughtfully at her fallen body, his eyes seeming to glow with murderous intentions.

"Think she could be in ties with Bakura?" Yami asked softly.

"I don't know that's why I want to keep her alive."

This statement both surprised and fascinated Yami greatly. "Did I just hear you correctly? You want to spare her life?"

"Don't sound so frikin taken aback, I only want to find out what the hell that was all about back there, and then make her suffer for it...though now that I think of it, she might be able to lead us to Bakura."

Yami smirked, "Wow Yugi I'm impressed, you actually aren't so stupid after all."

"Shut up!" Yugi spat, still irritated over the last assault, "Let's wake her up and demand answers right now!"

Yami held up a hand to stop him, "Wait Yugi, rather let her sleep through the night and wake up tomorrow when the blood is out of her system and she's weakened."

"Wait for tomorrow? And just what the fuck am I supposed to do with her until then?"

"Take her back to our place and tie her down or something…" Yami suggested while scratching the back of his head, already knowing what Yugi was going to complain about.

"Oh, fucking great plan Yami! Brilliant fucking plan, you bright son of a bitch, how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Hmm? I can't even fucking chain her down! She'll chew right through them!"

"Look, if you can keep her asleep long enough, she'll weaken faster, so just make sure she stays asleep…use your ability if you have to."

Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes, reaching out both his arms to take her. Yami cautiously placed her limp body in them, half expecting Yugi to drop her on purpose and was surprised when he didn't. His last words before rushing off into the night came to Yami in a bare whisper, "She better be worth the effort."

* * *

Meanwhile Tea had grown a little anxious at both Yami and Yugi's disappearance, as they seemed to be taking a really long time to come back, but as Yami had assured her earlier that day, she needn't be concerned for their safety…yet still. There was James' henchmen somewhere out there at his disposal to consider, not to mention Ryou/Bakura…all things that she had to worry about.

She had just paced to the living room window for about the thirtieth time, when her eyes fell on the package that she had up until then forgot about. Sighing softly she walked over to it, curiously gazing over its large square figure, trying to figure out what it could possible contain. Deciding that she had better open it instead of irrationally worrying about the vampire twin brothers, she began to undo the restraints, humming quietly to herself, when a warning sensation began to swell within her stomach.

She had only time to draw back her hand when the cardboard broke apart in dramatic display, each layer pulling loose as though an unseen pressure was forcing its way out. The box's contents scattered free and spilled over her carpeted floor, each seeming to evilly mock her terror as a build up of overwhelming fear sparked through her entire being. Without being able to stop herself, she screamed.

* * *

After a rough evening of having to deal with enemy vampires, a vampire gone rabid, his father who insisted he be _serviced_ by the new triplet slave girls, a hunting expedition gone wrong, and an episode with Dendera…Seto wanted nothing more than to rest and be over with it. He ducked into his bedchambers before anyone could stop him, and made his way over to bed, removing his cloak and shirt in the process, yet before he could do anything else, there was an annoying knock at his door.

Hissing through clenched teeth, he turned his ice-cold gaze at the door's direction. "What?" He barked aggressively, daring the person on the other end to respond.

"My lord, please I must speak with you!" His personal servant replied with an edge of confidence in his voice that Seto found rather annoying.

Using his telekinetic abilities, he unlocked the door, using his power to shove it open without needing to touch it. Without saying anything he walked over to the centre of his room, glaring at the cocky vampire before him that had dared to interrupt his sleep. His words however, were not needed, as the servant immediately began to go into the reason on why he had come, excitedly. "My lord, I have excellent news!"

His servant was young, _and a fool_. Still unlearnt in the proper etiquette on how to address a highly ranked vampire, _which he had only his master to blame_. Instead of kneeling down on one knee until given permission to do otherwise, he was standing. And instead of standing still and keeping a level tone, he was practically vibrating with excitement and thrashings his arms about like he was trying to fly somewhere, and yelled on the top of his voice…which greatly distressed Seto, who hated noise in a fierce passion.

"Sire, I know where Prince Atem is!" the young vampire said excitedly.

Seto raised an eyebrow.

"I heard from Dendera sire…she spoke to me of Prince Atem's fascination with the blood-whore that gave birth to him, and I thought that perhaps if he had such a fascination with her, would he then perhaps not travel to her homeland first?"

Well, at least it was safe to say that his servant was a complete idiot…but still an idiot no less. Seto turned his gaze away thoughtfully, going over what the slave had told him, before turning his attention back to him. "Who else knows of this?"

"Just you sire, I answer to you first always!" the slave proclaimed enthusiastically, but Seto didn't buy it.

He beckoned the slave forward, to which he naively complied with, dashing up to him with the same enthusiasm. Without warning Seto shoved a fist through the young vampire's chest and crushed the boy's heart, turning him to dust within seconds, before growling lowly to himself. Now he had to deal with his cousin on top of a very bad day.

Looked like he was going to have to pay his cousin a visit…_Go figure_.

* * *

**Yay Seto! Uh...I mean - Uh Oh Seto...oooo... (breathe fan-girls, breathe!) So yeah I know this chapter isnt one of my best, sigh! But there is hope that the next one will be so much better, because well...can't let the cat out of the bag yet now can I? Once again thank you so much for reading, it really does mean a lot, I hope that it wasn't a total bore! My sis gave me hell for it (rolls eyes).**

**And just to make myself clear - I love Twilight! And I'm totally Team Edward! Go Eddie!**

**Oh yeah, sorry lemon fans for leading you on there, I know it was cruel of me, and quite frankly I hate it when that happens, but fear not! For I am already planning another steamy moment in the near future...who knows, maybe Yugi will be my next victim..._Just saying_. So before you all strangle me, I better rush off at super speed and go study. Love you all, hugs and kisses! Mwa Mwa! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey!**

**Long time, no update right? Sorry guys, I've been really, really busy lately, with studying, exams, assignments, and new love life! However, I am pleased to inform you that I'm finally done with chapter 15, and so help me – did it give me problems! So I worked some late night magic and spent most of my weekends staying up from 9pm to 4 am (I'm not kidding) bitching, and downing coffee and salty chips, and argued with the computer until I finally typed in the final sentence! So I really, really hope everyone is going to like it! **

**But before I begin! Thank you! Thank You! Thank you! All my amazing reviewers and readers! You guys are so awesome and great, and such a pleasure to write for! I don't know what I would do without you! **_**Toxicinity**_**, you always make me laugh and brighten my day when I read your reviews, and thank you so much for all the luck you bring me, because I always need it. **_**IceFire Dragon Alchemist73**_**, in your honour Yugi will do the next intro ****thank you for reviewing it means a lot to me. **_**Darkness Bandit**_** I'm so glad you enjoyed the Hannah remix, my sister never stopped singing it (rolls eyes), I love your reviews and I promise you that there will be a lemon soon. My dearest friend, **_**PharoahAtem's Queen95**_**…thank you for finally enabling your private messaging, I also love your reviews, thanks a lot. **_**I Love Manicures**_**– so do I girl, hehe. Thank you for your support and reviews, I love them as well, and Team Edward forever Babe! **_**Germantownmaiden**_**-**** Thank you for loving chapter 14, you even nearly convinced me that there was nothing wrong with it, thank you so much for your kind words. **_**Koragirl - **_**thank you so much for still following the story and always reviewing it, it really means a lot to me! **

**And finally, thank you to my new readers, **_**Seeker Heart**_**, **_**Dorchica **_**(seriously you sat and read it for 4 hours! You're my new hero! Thanks a bunch!), and **_**Princess of Sorrow**_**. You guys are all awesome and I'm so lucky to have the best reviewers on Fanfiction reading the Perfect Strangers. **

**Also a special thanks to Razz, for allowing me to use her character in this story, and another special thanks once again to Toxicinity for the use of her character…**_**which is about to turn Domino City upside down**_**. **

**So before you all get impatient and kill me, here is chapter 15. Please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-gi-oh, never have, but I'm dating Seto Kaiba's twin brother. (Drools)**

**Rating: **_**Yeah some of the topics that come up in this chapter are not suitable for children**_**. **

**AN: Enjoy…**

* * *

_Previously on Gossip gir- uh I mean…The Perfect Strangers. __Looks like Domino City has a couple of new strangers in town, not that Ballet-Girl seems to mind, he's everything she wanted right…hmm, trust her to pick Mr. Mysterious over his uber-hot brother (Me!), but the party's over for now, three new psychos are raising hell, literally. As for the fair-haired devil's spawn that uber-hottie's (once again me!) got captive, seems she's on a mission of her own, too bad so am I. No point in hating me…because you know you love me!_

_XOXO _

_(Fuck who watches this shit?)_

"**CHAPTER 15"**

It sounded so simple when he had thought it over in his head. Take the girl to Yami's apartment, chain her down to a chair, deprive her of blood for a while, and then conduct a thorough interrogation by means of "_torture"_ if necessary…Simple! _But no'ooooo…_not with this bitch.

Like Yugi had previously predicted, she managed to break out of her chains…_several times_…and he had to chase her around the apartment and drag her back to the same chair and retie her up with a new set of even thicker chains…_well_, until her third attempt to escape, where she actually took apart the chair, _as well_, and left a pile of scrap wood behind.

So it really was her own fault that he was left with no other choice, but to practically '_cocoon_' her in huge, bulky truck chains, which seemed to weigh over a ton, and probably felt terribly uncomfortable around her slim body…_too bad_! She squirmed around slightly, though found her movement was severely restricted, which automatically made her resentful of his presence, and therefore settled on glaring at him from across the room, with black-hateful eyes. _Sucker._

Yugi snorted humourlessly, his eyes mirroring her hateful glare with one of his own from his corner across the room, as he leant up against the wall with his arms folded over his bare chest. After what she had put him through for the last three days and nights, she could rot in those chains for all he cared. Annoyed, he glanced around what was left of the living room, and mentally cringed at the state of it. _Talk about it looking as though someone had been murdered. _Yami was really going to flip-out on him this time.

The desk (and Yami's paperclip tower - thing) lay discarded and completely destroyed in the corner, along with the once-chair's remains, neither recognisable anymore, and couldn't really be told apart from the extensive damage and battery that they had sustained during the escape attempts. The carpets were also shredded with deep, long slashes that revealed the dark, blackened wood beneath them, which were inflicted by her razor sharp nails, as he dragged her from the doorway and back to her chair on her second try. There were also very noticeable pools of blood staining various areas of the carpet and the few items of furniture that had managed to remain partly intact; and the walls, which were still partly vandalised, now had patches of missing plaster and long, widespread cracks that trailed onward and upward towards the ceiling.

All three commotions had sparked some form of reaction from their neighbouring tenants…And all '_concerned_' individuals had to have their '_minds set at ease_' - that all that was happening in the apartment, was a little bit of _foreplay_ and _rough sex_…_thank Ra he had powers_.

He gently pushed himself off the wall and unfolded his arms, rolling his shoulders back to relieve some of the tension that had somewhat built up after the past 48 hours, in which he had only got about a maximum of 4 hours worth of sleep from. Trying to compel her had also proved to be a fruitless task, mostly because he hadn't had anything decent to drink for the past week, _and_ he was utterly exhausted, thus, his power became too weak to work on her properly, enabling her to break out of it just as quickly. And if that wasn't bad enough…_she refused to answer his questions_.

Day three; and she still hadn't spoken a word to him. All she did was throw a few murderous glares at him and occasionally _sigh or growl_ answers, which pissed him off beyond the border of rage. It seemed as though the girl wasn't able to speak, which he really hoped for her sake, _wasn't the case_…not after what she had had the audacity to put him through.

Yami of course, _as per usual_, had the better hand of the deal. _Bastard_!

While playing the demonic babysitter/captor, and in some cases – _victim_ - Yami had been caught up with a situation that involved his prized plaything-_uh_- _girlfriend_, and hadn't been able to leave her side since. He wasn't too clued up on all the details as of yet, as when he and Yami last spoke, his attention _was more focussed_ _on his own_ _restless female_ that he had spent most of the day chasing around the apartment…And only caught some of what Yami had been trying to say, which was something about a box…_and really - who gave a shit about a box?_

His hand involuntarily stretched up to the centre of his bare chest, where only a few faint pink lines remained from what had once been a gory mess that was left after she had tried to rip him apart, _literally_, with her bare hands. He suspected that some of his skin still remained beneath her finger nails, the "_claws of death_" in his opinion…and yet it wasn't the wounds he received that pissed him off the most, _despite how much it had_ _hurt_, but rather the fact that she had reduced his last shirt to the very threads of cotton that had once made it whole.

Glaring at her, he bared his fangs slightly in irritation, growing bored of keeping her alive for the sake of finding out what he needed to. She still had that contemplative look in her dark eyes, obviously planning her next escape. He had to give her credit though; she was a fighter, something that he would have found immensely attractive_, if he didn't hate her just as much for it_.

A sudden movement caught his attention, as she tried to break free of her chains again, only to find that they were stronger than the last set, and gave in to a loud, high pitched sigh of frustration. He growled irritably, "Fucking hell! Can't you just sit still for One – Single - Fucking _minute_? I swear to any god that you believe in – if you break out of those chains one last time…I will fucking super glue your ass to that Ra-damn chair!" She shot him a daring glare, as if to say, '_Go_ _ahead and see if I care_,' before trying to do the same thing again unsuccessfully.

Oh how he would enjoy killing this _one _when all this was over. So far he had been 'nice' to her. There wasn't a single mark on her body that he had put there purposely, in fact he had done very little damage to her, especially in comparison to what she had done to him, _but no_, Yugi hadn't even so much as left a scratch on her, though not even he was sure why, because there were so many times where he had wanted to kill her, yet didn't. That didn't mean however, once she had become useless to _them_ that he wouldn't make the process as painful as he could possibly make it.

'_Rather let her sleep through the night and wake up tomorrow when the blood is out of her system and she's weakened,'_ Yami had said so confidently two nights before, _what a prick_. Then again he had to give his brother a little benefit of the doubt; neither of them had expected her to be this strong without a blood supply. She must have been starving by now, hell Yugi had had to go without blood for 26 hours when he was transferring from Egypt to America on the hunt for Yami, and that alone was terrible, he couldn't imagine what it must have felt like for her, but spared her no compassion. He wasn't in the mood for her shit the day he met her, and he most definitely was not in the mood for it now.

_The only problem was that although she was weakening, she was weakening very slowly. _

She shoved herself forward in the chair, which caused the chains to lurch and rattle under pressure, yet _fortunately_ remained intact. He was about to launch another one of his Ra-fearing threats at her, when he heard the door to the apartment being opened.

"Yugi?" Yami's voice called from the doorway, his eyes widening in horror as he took in his surroundings. _What_ _the hell happened to his apartment_!"

"It's about time! _We're_ in here!" Yugi responded.

Yami soon entered through the doorway, his eyes wide in shock and disbelief at what was left of his apartment. His sharp, scarlet eyes missed nothing in their observation around the room, picking out each injury that the pair had caused in their scuffle, and the broken furniture that lay discarded in pieces in the corner, and finally turned his gaze on the young chained up vampire, who sat glaring at him coldly, before making his way back to Yugi. "What the hell happened?"

Yugi glanced up at him tiredly, his exhaustion seeming to finally take an effect on him, though his temper was quick to flare. "What happened? _I'll tell you what fucking happened_…our little _friend_ here and I have been playing _hide and seek_, as well as _tag_ for the past two-and-a-half _fucking_ days." Yugi glared at Yami. _'And that thing you said about her weakening if she's kept off blood – total bullshit! She's LITERALLY been climbing up the fucking walls, hence the cracks in the ceiling!"_

Yami automatically glanced up at the ceiling upon hearing Yugi's mental voice and gaped in amazement, upon seeing what looked like dented footprints in his plaster-ceiling as well as cracks. He could only imagine what had taken place for something like that to occur. It seemed that the girl had really given Yugi a hard time. "Well I'll be damned," Yami commented as he slowly took his eyes off the ceiling and returned them to his brother's.

Yugi looked like he had been put through hell, with a slight yellowish tinge to his complexion that was barely noticeable, but there all the same, as well as finely visible dark shadows beneath his eyes, and bloodshot corners that made his eyes seem much redder than what they really were. He also noticed the dry blood that caked his skin, and the faint pink scars that lined his upper torso…_though he had to wonder why he was walking around without a shirt on in the first place_.

"Been a handful hasn't she?"

Yugi gave him a really dark, spine-chilling glare.

Yami sighed, feeling slightly guilty about not being there to help Yugi with her when clearly he needed it, but it had been impossible for him to have been in two places these last few days. "Has she said anything yet?" The last time they spoke, Yugi had told him that she hadn't said a word to him, though she did seem to understand what he was saying, which meant that it wasn't a language barrier issue that they were dealing with.

Yugi shook his head, still seeming to inwardly fume with agitation.

Yami nodded in understanding and turned his gaze back to an even more agitated vampire, which glared at him with hostile eyes that could have frozen hell over. Had she not have been securely chained to the chair, he would have without a doubt expected her to leap across the room and tear his throat out. And just by a quick, sketchy analysis of her mind – _that was exactly what she wanted to do._

He pulled out another chair from the other side of the room and dragged it in front of her before casually sitting down on it, offering her a genuine, friendly and inviting smile. "Hi," he greeted her politely, to which she only glared at in response. "I'm Atem, but you can call me Yami if you like."

Yugi sighed dramatically behind him with a roll of his eyes, to which Yami simply ignored. His attention was solely focussed on the vampire before him. "I see that you've been keeping my brother rather occupied these last few days…I must say that I'm impressed, because you're the only woman I know that has been able to properly put him in his place, I _really_ admire you for that."

Yami could hear Yugi's deep-throated growl and felt the daggering glare on his back, but continued to ignore him, as he saw a barely visible spark in her eye that could have been either humour or perhaps pride at been praised. "I apologize for the chains. I can't imagine them been comfortable at all, and I'm sure you must be hungry too, after all it's just after _twelve in the afternoon_, and you haven't had a single meal yet for almost three days. So I'll tell you what, I'll loosen these slightly, to make them more comfortable for you and we'll fix you up with some of the medic blood I have back in the kitchen…would you like that?" he asked her with a kind and gentle voice.

Yugi gasped, wondering if Yami had gone mad. _'What the fuck do you think you're doing? Are you insane! This little bitch should have more chains wrapped around her, not have them loosened! And you're not seriously going to feed her? We need her weaker, not stronger you douche bag!"_

Yugi's attention was immediately snapped to the small movement of her head, as she hesitantly nodded once in acknowledgement of Yami's offer. His older brother turned slightly in his chair and gave Yugi a hard knowing look that sent a message to him without needing telepathy, asking him to trust him. "Yugi will you please go and fetch her a bag from our supply?"

Although he felt that this was a _really_, _really_ bad idea and didn't really believe that Yami was all that smart - _in fact he didn't trust Yami's judgement majority of the time_ - but regardless of all that, he knew that if anything went wrong he still had enough strength – _and super glue at the bottom of the kitchen cabinet_ – to correct it…but most importantly, if anything went wrong he would take great pleasure in rubbing it in Yami's face later. _So_…he nodded hesitantly, but shot Yami a warning gaze, before disappearing into the kitchen and yanking the freezer door open.

A quick scan of its contents led him to the decision of yanking out an 'O' blood type flavour, deciding she could have the least favourable tasting supplement of their supply. When he returned to the living room Yami had already loosened the chains in a very gentle way that made his stomach churn. His brother was being too damn nice and gentle with her, which was a sure way to backfire on them, but he was too damn stupid to see it that way. He was treating her like a fragile human and not something that could rip his head off in less than a second. Seeing that if she did spring a surprise attack on him, his brother was in a rather fatally close range, so Yugi decided to situate himself closer to the pair, in case he had to intervene immediately. He flung the bag onto Yami's lap without a word and glared at her threateningly, hoping that it would kick any thoughts of escape out of her mind.

Yami ripped the bag open for her and poured its contents into a glass, making sure to get as much out of it as he could, before placing a straw in it. She didn't make any sudden movements or lash out at him like Yugi had expected from a hungry vampire, and the only indication of her hunger, came from a purely agonized look in her eyes, as they zoomed in on the glass. Yami brought it up to her lips and allowed her to gulp it down as fast as it would go, allowing her to finish what was left in the glass before taking it away and placing it down beside him. "There, do you feel a little bit better now?" his voice sounded so believably concerned that even Yugi had trouble deciding whether or not it was genuine.

The girl didn't answer, but continued to stare at the empty glass hungrily, clearly not satisfied yet. Yami smiled kindly at her. "I know that you must still be thirsty, but you have to understand that until we can fully trust you, we can't allow you anymore strength."

The girl turned her gaze on him, seeming angered by his denial, to which he nodded gently in response to. "I imagine you can't be happy about that, which is why I'd like for us to work on getting to know and understand each other…if we can do that then I promise you that by the end of today, these chains will come off completely and you'll be free to go."

Yugi stiffened upon hearing this and he shot a questioning look at his brother, whereas the girl seemed to grow interested.

"Deal?" Yami asked her with a kind smile.

For a long time the room remained in absolute silence, without even so much as a flinch of movement, until she slowly and hesitantly gave him a small nod, her eyes untrusting and slightly suspicious of his motives, which mirrored Yugi's own. He too, wondered what Yami was up to.

"Could you please tell us your name?" he asked gently.

_Ha! Fat chance of that happening asshole_, Yugi thought smugly. "I don't think she can talk Yami," he informed him with a bored sounding voice, though both were equally surprised when her soft – _beautiful _– voice sang from her lips, and Yugi had to double check to see if he had heard correctly or imagined it, but there was no mistaking that it had come from her.

"Lamia…_my name is Lamia_."

-X-X(Break)X-X

_What a bitch_! Yugi thought darkly, barely refraining himself from giving in to another angry growl. He had been at her for three days, trying to get her to speak and sit even a fraction of the stillness that his brother seemed to achieve in only the ten minutes he had been present. _What the hell?_

He swore that this was all just to spite him. She obviously didn't like been chained up and held hostage, despite the fact that she had started all this herself, and now had a personal grudge against him. _How frikin childish!_

"That's an interesting name _Lamia_…" Yami commented with a rather thoughtful gaze, seeming rather puzzled by something. Yugi glanced at his brother's face with a questioning look of his own, wondering what was so strange about the name, before rolling his eyes impatiently. Trust Yami to take his sweet damn time and look so deeply into trivial matters such as a damn name. It was almost as worse as concerning himself with a box…and speaking of the box, _where was Tea anyway_?

Lamia didn't answer, though she lowered her dark gaze to the ground, seeming disinterested in anything else he had to say, obviously wanting to be freed now. "Are you from Domino City?" Yami asked after a short pause, his words careful, though skilfully masked in a tone of casualness.

She hesitantly shook her head twice with a thoughtful and suspicious look in her eyes, seeming to have to think about it before answering, though to Yugi it looked like she had to try and remember where she came from…_obviously what they said about blondes applied to all fair haired types._

"I see…have you enjoyed it here so far?"

Yugi gave Yami an incredulous look. _What the hell was his brother doing_? This wasn't a casual chat over a cup of coffee, or the time to ask what her favourite colour and pass time was – this was the time to get hard facts out of her on where Ryou/ Bakura/white haired freak dude/ whatever , was located! Yami's little chat was really starting to annoy him. _'Yami what the hell is this, a blind date? Get a fucking move on already; we don't have time to sit around anymore!'_

Yami seemed to ignore him, and continued to give her that trademark 'kind-like' smile of his, his eyes seeming to gently encourage a reaction out of her. She briefly closed her eyes and shook her head once, before opening them. Yami nodded his head thoughtfully, seeming to think about his next question, whereas Yugi just gave a long sigh of frustration. _This was going to be a very long, long day…_

"Have you made any friends yet?" he asked finally after a long pause, which caused a dark swell of emotion to briefly form in her black orbs, though Yugi hadn't noticed…_he was too busy grinding his teeth together and resisting the urge to smack his older twin on the back of his head_.

"Yami…_can I please have a word with you_?" Yugi all but growled, beckoning towards the hallway with his thumb.

Yami smiled at Lamia, "Please excuse me for a minute Lamia. I'll be right back." He slowly lifted off his chair and followed Yugi out into the hall, before closing the door behind him and turning to face Yugi with an unsurprised expression, almost as though he already knew what his younger twin was going to say.

"Ra damn it Yami, what the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be-"

Yami held up a finger to his lips before tapping his right ear, giving Yugi a look that told him to keep quiet, while he made his way over to the kitchen.

Yugi rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Just great!"

Yami came back with a note pad and marker, writing something on it, before turning it over to his brother, which read; _'Before I answer you, I'd like to take this opportunity to rub it in your face that I just totally nailed you in your own "department" with the girls.'_

Yugi glared at him, _'Getting a stubborn female to open up to you, doesn't make you an expert asshole, instead it only suggests evidence that you're gay.'_

Yami smirked despite himself and hastily scribbled something else on the space beneath his previous message. _'You could learn a lot from me.'_

Yugi cocked an eyebrow, _'I'll consider learning something from you when you have something worth teaching.'_

Yami rolled his eyes, _'Well start learning, because here's something VERY worth teaching…it's called psychology.'_

Yugi frowned tiredly, he hated big words on most days, yet alone when he was barely able to keep his mind functioning, _'What about it?'_

He watched as Yami wrote his explanation in that delicate way of his despite its speed. _'With the right questions and the correct approach to any situation involving an individual, you'd be surprised by what I can find out.'_

Yugi snorted with a bored look in his eyes, _'Wow…how could I have ever doubted your "infinite wisdom" after you managed to uncover her name, the fact that she isn't from this specific city and that she's not having a very good time here…Information that we can do fuck-all-with!"_

Yami rolled his eyes and shook his head, _'On contraire little brother, it just so happens that we can. Don't worry I didn't expect you to be smart enough to figure this out all by yourself. Let me tell you what I know – she knows that she originally lived in a city, which one I do not know, but I'm clear on the fact that it's not Domino. Second; she was forced to come here, which is why she resents it. Third; she is in deed under Bakura's power, but she resents and possibly even hates him. I was trying to get deeper into that issue…but as usual you got involved-"_

'_Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop writing for a sec…how the hell did you get all of this- ohhhhh…mind reading!"_ Yugi suddenly felt a little idiotic; now things started to make sense…he must have been more tired than he thought. "Ha-ha…oops," he said through a small sheepish smile.

Yami smiled at him, "I'm glad that you've now caught up with me Yugi."

Yugi smirked sarcastically, before turning a worried gaze back at the door that separated them from Lamia. _'Is it a good idea to give her so much room space though?'_

Yami rolled his eyes and drew his gaze back down onto the notepad, seeming rather unhappy about having to communicate in this way.

'_Must suck not having telepathic powers, huh?' _Yugi taunted, to which he just received a venomous glare in return, before Yami continued to write down his thoughts.

'_I take comfort in knowing that I was at least born with a brain…and to answer your question, yes, she's not going anywhere…how do I know this? __Not only can I read her mind__, I can also tell that she has enough common sense to stay put for now.'_

Yugi frowned in wonder. _'Oh, because she's intimidated by the two on one thing, so she'll just stay put like a good little girl?'_

Yami gave him a look.

"What?" Yugi asked.

Yami shook his head as he wrote, _'You need to go and catch a few hours of sleep before someone puts you in a fish bowl…it's the middle of the day Yugi, where is she going to go?'_

"Fish bowl?" Yugi yawned, aware that there was in insult somewhere in there, but couldn't figure it out.

"It means that you're slow enough right now to have your level of intelligence compared to that of a goldfish," Yami stated in a dry tone with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh…are they stupid?" Yugi asked, rubbing the back of his head, still not quite getting the joke.

"Depends on whether you compare them to rest of the animal kingdom or _you_," Yami mumbled under his breath. "Look…I'm going to go and make sure Tea is some place that is safe, and then I'll come back here and take over for you so that you can get some sleep…_I think you need it_."

Yugi was still trying to figure out if what Yami had told him meant that goldfish were stupid or not, when his brother's words sank in. "Huh? Oh, yeah…something happened to her right? What was it again?"

Yami raised his eyebrows, "I've told you already."

Yugi shrugged, "Yeah well I wasn't really listening, and I was kind of focused on keeping our captive, _captive_.So what happened?" He frowned slightly when he saw the haunted look in his older twin's eyes and for the first time noticed a very dim pair of shadows beneath them.

"_Someone_ sent her a _package_ a few days ago…" he said slowly, his eyes darkening into a brooding gaze.

Yugi cocked an eyebrow, "So what? Did _Michael Jackson_ jump out at her?" Call him insensitive, but unless some twisted and nose-less paedophile jumped out and touched her _good stuff_, he really didn't see any need to be so traumatised over a harmless cardboard box.

He shook his head stiffly, "Yugi…this isn't a joke. The thing was filled to the top with…_used condoms_, and some of them were even coated with blood. There was also a…_picture_ of her in there, a recent school photo, that had her eyes and mouth cut out, plus a pair of woman's underwear that looked like it had been masturbated on, and…_a note_…"

Yugi immediately turned serious, "What did it say?"

"…_Soon_." Yami responded in an almost angry tone, though he managed to strain his voice enough to keep it under control. "That's all it said."

"Any idea who sent it?" Yugi asked.

"I can think of a few suspects…James is one of them…and the most likely, but then there's also..." his voice trailed off, as though he was carefully choosing his words, "Well, _a man_ from her past that she is convinced is the culprit."

"Are you sure Bakura isn't behind it?"

"No, I don't think that this is his doing. We're looking at someone with a violent _sexual_ appetite…and, I don't know, this just doesn't seem like his style. James on the other hand…"

Yugi bit the side of his lip thoughtfully, "Yeah that's true, James is the most likely candidate…and probably the only human that could produce that amount of condoms on such short notice…but I wouldn't rule out Bakura just yet. We can't think of him as one that is likely to display "normal" behaviour…I still think he could have done this."

"I don't know, but whoever it is…I'm going to make that bastard pay…_when I find him_. Tea's traumatised, _she can't sleep at all_, she keeps having nightmares, and even the smallest sound has her on edge. She's also convinced that by me being with her is putting my life in danger, and tried to talk me into leaving her." Yami sighed as he shook his head, before tiredly massaging his eyes.

"_Humans_," Yugi commented with a roll of his eyes, before frowning slightly. "But if you're convinced that we're dealing with a _human_…why are you not with her right now, _I mean they can travel around during the day_?"

"She insisted on working today, so I left her with Hardwick, but I'm not comfortable leaving her there with a frail old man, especially when I know that's where James got hold of her the last time." There was a strange, dark glow in Yami's eyes at the mention of James.

"Does she know about _Lamia_ yet?"

Yami nodded his head.

Speaking of Tea knowing things…a sudden thought came to his mind. "Yami…Have you told her _everything_ yet?" Yugi asked curiously, noting that Tea seemed too okay for someone who knew the whole truth of Yami's past, present, and most importantly_ his future_.

Yami didn't need to ask what Yugi had meant, already in an almost instinctive twin manner, knowing the meaning of the question, and shook his head. "I don't know how to tell her…"

"Well, you don't have much of a choice…you're not going to be able to keep it a secret for very long, and you don't want her to find out in the same way she found out about us been Egyptian princes…" Yugi advised wisely.

"_You're right_…" Yami sighed in defeat. Her finding out in such a way again would have been almost traitorous on his part.

Yugi smiled, his eyes half closed with exhaustion. "You know what, let me handle Lamia for the rest of the day, go on a date with Tea and spend some quality time with her. _She needs you_…and _you need her_."

Yami gave him an incredulous look. "Not a chance in hell, you don't look like you've slept at all!"

"Neither do you actually – and before you fight me on this, I'll remind you that she can't exactly go anywhere, now that she knows what the time of day it is, so I don't think she'll be too much of a problem."

Yami shook his head.

"Yami, seriously go," Yugi commanded with a stern tone. '_I'm more than capable of handling her myself, so don't undermine me, and besides…aren't we supposed to be working on building 'trust' in this reawakening of our brotherly relationship? Well - trust me now_.'

"Alright…" he said a little reluctantly, but a hard look came to his eyes almost immediately after, "But I'll first finish up with the conversation I started in there earlier, and while I do that, you should get some sleep."

"Fine," Yugi shrugged, opening the door to the living room, "I'll have a nap on the couch."

Yami eyed the couch, which he knew from experience was not nap-friendly, and decided it was safer not to comment. He looked up at Lamia and forced a smile to his lips. She seemed t have that faraway look in her eyes again, one that border-lined that of a caged animal at the zoo, as though she were a prisoner trying to remember a life where she was allowed the freedom of the wild. _She was a very unusual vampire. _

"Sorry that that took so long…we were discussing some issues that were concerning you." He said honestly, while taking a seat on the chair before her, and folded his arms.

She looked at him blankly as though she hadn't heard a word he said and didn't care either.

"Now where were we?" he said more to himself than to her, trying to think up his next set of questions, when she surprised him.

"_I've never seen a shooting star before_…" she mumbled randomly, her black eyes seeming vacant and hollow, as though she was slipping into a trance.

Yami stiffened in surprise and blinked once, "Uh…really? Is that so?"

She nodded once stiffly, turning her gaze to the ground, remaining silent and unmoving for a very long time.

Yugi rolled his head sideways from his lying down position and stared at her with a cocked eyebrow and half lidded eyes. "_What the fuck_?" he all but whispered, voicing his thoughts without thinking, which caused a surprise reaction out of her.

Her sharp black eyes that were so similarly shaped to Yami's, snapped in his direction with a look of dark annoyance in them, and she gave into a low growl before voicing her own thoughts that up until now she had kept to herself. "_Stop swearing_!"

Both boys widened their eyes in surprise. "What did you just say to me?" Yugi gawked. _Surely he had heard wrong_.

"I said stop swearing! _Do you have a problem with your hearing_?" she hissed irritably, and Yami struggled to refrain himself from giving into fits of laughter and expertly hid a smirk that was threatening to break out.

"F-"

"Uh-hum, Yugi…please continue with your 'nap' and try to refrain from using vulgar language around our _guest_." Yami interrupted, aware of the word that was on the tip of Yugi's tongue.

Yugi too tired to really argue, just shot her a venomous glare and rolled back to his original sleeping position before closing his eyes.

She went back into her trance like state, avoiding his gaze. He watched her for several minutes, before deciding to take the next step. "Lamia…why did you attack my brother that night?"

She frowned slightly.

"Why did he order you to kill him?" Yami asked, with a knowing tone that lacked doubt or caution. It took her by surprise and she gazed back up at him with startled and suspicious eyes, allowing her lips unintentionally to part. He nodded his head once as though answering a silent question of hers. "Yes Lamia I know of his involvement in all this…I know that he told you to kill Yugi."

She forced her lips together tightly and looked away grudgingly.

Yami was surprised to discover that _Bakura_, or perhaps he should have said _Ryou_, had given her no reason for wanting Yugi dead…only that he wanted it done as soon as possible…but for some reason, Lamia did seem to have some personal resentment towards Yugi, which went back even before she attacked him…_which was strange_. Had she perhaps known Yugi beforehand?

"You don't have to answer for him…but I would like for you to tell me why you went along with it. Did you want my brother dead? Or were you just following-"

"You're going to kill me…" she said quietly, her words sounding that of acceptance, without a single spark a fight left in them. "I wonder…_what does touching mist feel like_?"

Yugi's face scrunched up as he cocked an eyebrow, wondering if he had heard her rambling correctly, and even Yami had trouble holding back a questioning gaze of his own, but he forced himself to ignore it. "We made a deal remember? If we work things out between us today, we'll let you go by evening."

"_Then he'll kill me_…I didn't do what he told me to. He won't be pleased…_I'm useless to him_," she said in a plain emotionless voice that was barely above a whisper.

Yami was about to respond when Yugi's interference cut in. "Then where the hell have you been in such a hurry to go to, if all you were running to was your end?"

She glared at Yugi with hostile eyes, "To get away from you!"

Yami tried to read her thoughts to see if he could solve the mystery on why she spared his brother no fondness, but she had already moved on to her next thought, which was quite a surprising one _for a vampire._ "He made me…_he should be the one to destroy me_." She whispered, this time revealing a tiny hint of emotion that sounded similar to…_sadness_.

Up until this point Yami had believed she was just like the vampires back in the tomb, the cold heartless, inhuman things that he despised so much, firmly believing that they were all devoid of true emotion and feeling, after all, _they no longer had souls_…it was a belief that he held against Yugi, something that had fed the grudge he had against him, but now as he thought about it, he realized how contradictory it all was and it occurred to him then that he was starting to feel sympathetic towards her. "Lamia…do you wish to return to his side?" he asked quietly.

With her saddened gaze focussed on the _bloodstained_ floor, it was expected that she wouldn't answer, but after a long, silent pause, a soft whisper escaped her lips that sounded as gentle as a breeze, "_No_."

Yami frowned in sympathy, aware of her predicament that been a newborn she needed to be constantly under the wing of her turner until she matured into her transformation, but obviously she didn't enjoy it one bit. Snippets of what kinds of torment she endured while under his guidance flashed through his mind as he read hers, and suddenly he couldn't blame her for preferring death, yet all the same discovered that the last thing she actually wanted…_was to die_.

Yugi sat up on the couch, his eyes still half lidded and dim, yet held a spark of energy. Having listened to this conversation long enough, he decided it was time to step in, before Yami decided to stick around longer than he should…_and he needed him gone, because he could feel 'it' coming._ "You are the most confusing female I know! You don't want to go back to the guy, but still plan to, even though you know that he's going to kill you – and although you have spent most of your time trying to break out of here, your just willing to sit still and allow us to just to kill you now? _Are you that weak_?"

That seemed to do it for her, as her eyes immediately narrowed angrily in his direction, hatred swirling within her black orbs, seeming to lose their self pity and defeat almost immediately.

"_Weak_?" she spat, as though the word tasted sour, and her fangs slowly slid down the corners of her mouth. "_Oh, I'll show you weak_!" In a motion so fast that Yami was barely able to process, a spurt of inhuman energy reached her limbs and with one jolt in her seat she managed to explode out of her chains and rush forward at his younger twin, her clawed hands reaching out to grab him by the throat.

Yugi however, didn't even flinch and moved faster than she did, despite her incredible speed, quickly grasping both her hands, before shoving her body against the wall to his side, pinning both her arms powerfully above her head, so much that a dent in the plaster was formed. The move seemed to startle her as she offered no resistance, and her thoughts immediately went blank, yet…she showed no other signs of fear, and if Yami really didn't know any better…it would have seemed to him as though she _trusted him_.

Yugi's eyes were hard and pitiless, wearing an incredibly serious expression that had always been rather rare for him, and only used for _special occasions_ it seemed. His grip on her never loosened and neither did his stern, condemning gaze that seemed to hold her spellbound, and when he finally broke the silence, his voice was as dark and powerful as any fully fledged vampire's...but there was an extent of warmth intertwined in his tone.

"Now that's more like it..._stupid_…but admirable none the less. _You_ _have wanted to die since the day you were ordered to kill me._ Why else you would you have taken me on, knowing that I was stronger? You are not a weak vampire Lamia. Your strength is quite impressive actually, for a _newbie_…_now don't believe for one second that I actually like you_. In fact I've been dying to kill you from the very beginning…but I don't kill things that I respect, and you will earn that when you stop feeling sorry for yourself and _just deal with what you've become_." Yugi hissed his words lowly, his stern gaze never faltering for a second. "_Unfortunately your master is a dick_. He may have had some confidence in your ability to _assassinate_ me, but we both know he knew that your chances were slim…he knew that I was older and stronger Lamia, _he knew that I could destroy you."_

Lamia slowly turned her vacant, yet slightly troubled expression away from his, confirming the correctness of his theory.

Yugi briefly glanced at Yami, _'Now would be a really good time for you to step in and feed her that mushy-bullshit crap of yours!'_

Yami blinked in offence, before turning his gaze onto her defeated expression, once again reminding him too much of a human's, making it hard for him to resent her. He couldn't believe he was about to say _what he was about to say_, "We are not enemies, Lamia…_not anymore_." He caught Yugi's gaze and held it briefly, realizing that his words were not for her alone.

Yugi, despite the brief flash of understanding and acknowledgement, immediately narrowed his eyes, completely unimpressed. _'How helpful,' _his mental voice chastised sarcastically. _'You're losing your touch with charming women, big brother…for once you actually sounded realistic.'_

Yami just stared at him, his narrowed gaze speaking for him before Yugi turned his attention back to his hostage. "My brother actually means that _we_ don't have to be enemies. Since your master has taken the first step at trying to eliminate me in this war, we now consider him a threat, and regardless of what my brother may or may not consider him, _I_ consider him my enemy…and _I_ will kill him if given the chance. It's your decision on what side you want to stand on."

Yami opened his mouth to tell Yugi to stop, realizing that he was taking this too far. Lamia had no reason to trust them enough to pick a side right now, especially in comparison to her 'turner' whom she not only shared a instinctive bond with, which all newborns had with their turners, but she had also only known him during her vampire existence. _They_ couldn't even be considered friends to her…_then again neither could Bakura since he sent her to her death_. However, Lamia beat him to it.

"Go up against my master?" she whispered quietly through a humourless smile, evident defeat in her eyes.

Yami was about to respond again, but this time Yugi beat him to it…_damn vampires_.

"Obviously not," Yugi said a little impatiently, his mood once again darkening for an unapparent reason. "_We don't want you to fight_ _him_ _idiot_, we want you step aside and let us without getting in the way."

"Yugi, hold on for a sec-" Yami tried to say, but Lamia once again interrupted him.

"And what will happen to me when you destroy him?" she growled, anger once again returning to her eyes. "Where will I go and what shall I do?"

"What the hell do you mean? Anywhere you like! You'll be free," Yugi responded in an obvious tone.

She smirked without humour, "Free? How will I be free without him?"

Yugi looked like he was about to lose patience with her, when realization dawned on him at about the same time that it dawned on Yami. "You're too young!" they both said at the same time.

She gazed at them with a sarcastic and triumphant gaze, holding onto her smirk that lacked humour as she made her point. "I don't have anywhere to go…I'm restricted to a life…no, _not life_…_death_, in the dark. I can barely even defend myself, _and I can't turn another into a vampire so I'll always be_ _alone_."

Yami nodded in understanding aware of this condition, in fact lacking such an ability was not uncommon at all. There were only a few vampires that could turn others into immortals, though they themselves were not rare to come across, it was just that there were more without the ability than there were with the ability. However, another thought crossed his mind, which he decided to voice rather than ignore. "Lamia, have you received proper guidance by him? Have you been taught how to use your abilities and when or when not to use them? In fact, have you been taught all the vital vampire trainings necessary for your survival?"

She didn't answer his question, but by looking into her eyes and taking a peak into her mind, he received his answer anyway. _Nothing_…he had taught her nothing. She had been left to learn everything on her own, something that could not have only been extremely dangerous for her, but also for the human society he had allowed her to roam amongst, often unguarded. It occurred to Yami that Bakura may have been absent from her life in preparation for if she was ever captured by them, knowing of his ability to read minds, he may have not wanted her to know much about him in case they could use it against him…_smart little bastard_.

Yet there was still the problem of her been unguided. This not only put her in danger, but it also put those _more fragile_ at danger…namely humans. Yami had no idea of her feeding habits or of her attitude towards human beings yet, which wasn't good. If she had the same type of typical vampiric attitude as the rest of his and Yugi's kind, they were going to have a serious problem on their hands. They had three ways of solving this problem. One was where they could just simply kill her. The second was a rather distasteful method in his eyes, where they could set her free and allow Bakura to deal with her. Regardless of what she was she was, he didn't like that option at all and refused to even give it a second thought. However, the third was far from easy and would require both effort and sacrifice as well as severe conflicts of morality…Yugi however, was going to be the least happy about it. Yet unfortunately, third option was the best…

"Lamia…I have uh… a proposition for you," Yami offered quietly, in a tone that alarmed Yugi who immediately sensed something wrong.

'_I don't like the sound of that, what are you up to?' _

Yami ignored him and continued to challenge Lamia's gaze, which had turned curious. "What kind of proposition?"

Yami bit the side of his lip thoughtfully as he thought about what he was going to say, "An alternative agreement."

She looked interested, though remained wary of him, not about to be conned into something.

"You do not have to join our side, but you can live with us until you are ready to live on your own, so you'll never have to return to your master ever again. We'll protect you as though you were one of our own, and Yugi will instruct you in the way Ryou should have-"

'_The fuck I am! What the hell do you think you're doing Yami, have you lost your Ra damn mind?'_

Yami continued without pause, "You'll never have to fight him…and most importantly you'll live…I know that you want to, and I know that you're finding it hard to live this way but…" He couldn't finish. For so long he had seen becoming a vampire as _the end_ and had no words to comfort her at this point when he couldn't even find comfort in it for himself.

Yugi swallowed back a sigh, unbelieving of the position he was about to place himself in. "You've been given a gift to live forever, _enjoy it_. So what if it's in the dark for the rest of eternity, there's nothing during daylight hours that you can't see at night too, except a sun and a light blue sky. Our sky is much prettier and our 'sun' is much healthier to walk under, _not just for us_, but for humans as well. You'll get to see so many wonderful and incredible things during your existence…_this doesn't have to be a curse unless you see it as one_," Yugi said softly, though it was evident that he wasn't just talking to her. "But ultimately," he raised his eyes to Yami's, "It is your choice."

'_You'll owe me big time Yami if she agrees to this. I'm not a fucking babysitter!'_

"What's the catch?" she all but whispered, her interests indeed peaked.

Yami turned slightly to acknowledge her with a forced and what he hoped to be, an inviting smile. "That you don't try and kill any of us ever again, especially my girlfriend-"

"Yeah, don't ever hurt his girlfriend that's pretty much it. Oh and if you're going to be learning under me, you will do as I say and command-"

"Just listen to him and try to follow his instructions, you won't be his slave," Yami finished for him, giving him a slight smirk.

"I-I can't decide right now-" Lamia stuttered, but Yami quickly put on his charming persona and put a reassuring hand up to stop her.

"I know, of course you can't right now, you need time," he said gently with a rather compelling voice that made Yugi wonder if Yami secretly did have the ability to manipulate people, _with his voice_, rather than his mind, which brought him to another thought.

"And she can start thinking about it, while you go out and tend to those _personal matters_ we were talking about earlier," Yugi said pointedly, _practically willing Yami to just leave already_.

"Oh…right, but-"

'_Brother, just go before I throw you out the door!'_

"Will you let go of me now?" Lamia requested with a somewhat strained voice.

It was only until she had pointed it out that Yugi realized he still had her pinned to the wall, and reluctantly freed her, half expecting her to bolt immediately and was surprised when she didn't. Then again as Yami had pointed out, it was the middle of the day.

She massaged her wrists with downcast eyes, not looking at either of them, though she particularly avoided Yugi, still having an aura of resentment towards him. She briefly glanced down at her clothes that were on the verge of been called rags after all the abuse they had been put through, the only thing still in good shape being her knee high, laced-up, leather boots. She was also decorated with smudges of dried blood, and she didn't even want to know what her hair looked like. It was then that she also felt the overwhelming wave of exhaustion and starvation that she had endured after a full sleepless day and night. "I'm tired," she stated quietly.

"_I wonder why_?" Yugi commented sarcastically, to which he earned a glare.

Yami looked back and forth between the two, "Can I leave you two alone with confidence that you won't kill each other?"

Lamia took his words seriously, and while still not meeting his eyes, she slowly nodded her head. Yugi on the other hand just rolled his eyes and folded his arms, whilst leaning back against the wall. "If the bitch behaves herself-_ow_!" She elbowed him hard in the side, casting a death glare in his direction without making eye contact.

"What the fuck is your prob-ow!" She did it again, harder this time.

"_Stop swearing_…" she said in a low voice that wasn't short of a whisper.

Yugi looked at her as though she were insane, whereas Yami had to cover his mouth with a closed fist to hide a smile. "_Stop swearing_? Are you kidding me? What are you in cradle school?"

Lamia glared at him with annoyance, "It's unnecessary."

"The fuck it is-ow! Damn it, go to hell! I'll swear all I fucking want-ow!" Yugi held his side, pain evident in his expression, which brought an even wider smile to Yami's lips. _Ah, justice could be served in so many mysterious ways_. He turned to leave, casting one final look at Lamia, catching her gaze, before giving her a friendly wink.

"Have fun you two," he said, _a little too cheerfully_, and with those last words exited the apartment. One thought kept overturning in his mind…that perhaps vampires weren't so different after all.

* * *

Tea had spent the last ten minutes, trying to scrub a barely visible smudge on the glass counter, getting more and more frustrated as it just refused to clear up. It had become a new concern of hers, to make sure everything was spotless, ever since that night…

(Flashback)

_The cardboard fell apart, allowing its contents to explode across the floor, and in an almost instinctive way__, Tea couldn't hold back the ear-piercing scream that she allowed free from her throat, yet ironically fell into frozen silence of both shock and horror once her mind registered at what she was seeing…before the gut-wrenching smell hit her…that horrible, stomach-churning smell of lubricated plastic and semen. _

_She wanted to look away, but couldn't, the sight had too powerful a hold on her gaze. She felt tears run from her eyes, and felt herself heaving and gagging, but her mind was focussed too greatly on the disgusting mess to register on what was happening around her. However, it was only when her gaze met with her own, in the form of a mutilated old school photograph that a scream escaped her for the second time. _

_Her beautiful blue eyes, as well as her mouth, had been removed so carefully and precisely as though surgically removed by an expert…__which was a rather strange thing to do to a picture, but it only revealed what went on in the head of the sender. Luckily though, the moment she turned to flee the apartment, Yami had appeared and immediately took her into his protective arms, but even he couldn't hold back his gasp of horror. _

_Her body trembled violently in his arms, so much that he had to tighten his embrace around her as though she were about to fall apart, which may not have been far from the truth. She didn't register anything further from the protective contact he provided her with, and didn't realise it when he had lifted her off the floor and carried her to the bedroom. Her body was numb with shock and her heart thudded harshly against her chest __as blood rushed through her veins. At some point he must have wanted to check the rest of the house for any other potential threats, or perhaps wanted to investigate the situation further, and had tried to pry her grip off him, but she wouldn't budge and instead snuggled closer to him. However, she remembered none of what he had said to her, or any of the ramblings that she had apparently responded or answered him with. _

(End flashback)

Her memories of that night were blurry, something which Yami had told her were all symptoms of shock, yet one thing she remembered eerily clearly of, was that she repeated over and over in her mind that her father was responsible for this.

She bit her trembling bottom lip in frustration as she put more strength into the washrag, trying to get rid of the stubborn smudge that seemed to mock her efforts. She was so solely focussed on the smudge that she hadn't heard the welcoming chime of the door bell greeting its next customer, or heard his footsteps nearing her, or caught his delicious scent before his hand gently reached out to place itself over hers, halting her actions immediately. Her eyes immediately darted to his concerned ruby gaze, and her fear soon dissolved into embarrassment as she forced a sheepish smile. "Y-Yami, h-hey, what are you doing here? I-I thought you were going over to see Yugi and that new vampire-"

"Already have…and came over here to check up on you. Are you alright? Didn't you hear me come in?" Yami asked her softly, gently caressing her hand in a soothing motion.

"I…uh, no, I was kind of focussed on…" she automatically glanced down at the counter before returning her eyes to his and forced another smile, though it didn't reach her eyes, "Sorry, I guess I've got a lot on my mind lately."

Yami gave her a small smile of his own, though still concerned about her well being. It was obvious that Tea was not coping very well, though she did try to hide it. However, he would often find her, during the early hours of the morning still scrubbing the area where the box and its contents had once been, still trying to remove whatever she thought was still there, and was obsessed with keeping things spotless. She didn't eat all that much either, and would often complain that she felt ill when she did eat; then there was also the fact that she didn't get that much sleep either, which would sometimes cause her to feel severely light headed and close to fainting. One thing however that did seem to put her slightly at ease was his presence, which made her feel a little better, _but for some unknown reason_ she held on to this ridiculous belief that she was putting his life at risk, which made her feel guilty and hence…she decided to work to put some distance between them…_well not if he could help_ _it_.

"I know," he said simply, as a sly, knowing smile formed on his lips.

Tea slightly, cocked a suspicious eyebrow at him, wondering what he was up to. "Yami?"

"Why don't you ditch your post for the rest of the day, and spend it doing something a little more fun? It would be good for you, and besides, _I have something important to tell you_." He winked at her, causing a stir amongst the butterflies that fluttered nervously in that warm pleasurable way within her stomach, but she shook her head.

"I-I can't right now, I've already missed enough work as is-"

She was interrupted by the sound of someone walking in from behind her, and turned to face Mr. Hardwick as he causally strutted in from the back room, his expression friendly and cheerful as always, yet the moment he spotted Yami, he immediately beamed brightly as though seeing a long lost son of his after many years of separation. "Yami, my dear boy, how good it is to see you son," he greeted as he made his way over to him.

"Always good to see you too," Yami greeted back politely.

"What were _we_ talking about now that I so rudely interrupted?" he asked, after pulling Yami into a quick hug _before_ _releasing him with some dignity_, though Yami didn't seem at all to mind the act of the old man's affection.

"Oh, I was just busy corrupting Tea into running away with me for the rest of the afternoon," Yami answered with a simple shrug of his shoulders, saying it as casually as one would tell another what the weather was like, and Tea couldn't help but stare wide eyed at him in shock.

Mr. Hardwick clapped his hands together with a star-like twinkle in his eye, "Ah how wonderfully romantic! What are you two still doing here then?"

Tea gaped at him next in surprise, was this really happening? "Mr. Hardwick! You're not being serious are you?"

Mr. Hardwick gave her a comical look, "My dear, today is the perfect weather for a lovers outing. Why, in my day as a young man, I would purposely call in sick and spend a day like this with my sweetheart, back in the days when I lived in Cromer…ah yes, seems so long, long ago." He had that dreamy look in his eye that all old people had when they remembered the days of their youth, which made Tea feel a little sorry for him.

"But…Mr. Hardwick how could you…I'm busy working…For you!" she reminded him with wide eyes.

Mr. Hardwick smiled, before forcing himself to regain a straight face, though he still had a playful look in his eye, "Ah yes, but you're more than just my little employee Love, you're the daughter I never had! And it would be a sin on my conscious if I kept you cooped up in here all day when business has been slow all morning and shows no signs of improvement. Go out, be young!" He turned his gaze to Yami, giving him a fond smile as well before turning it back to Tea, "And I don't think you could be placed in better hands. Now Tea, as your 'boss' I demand that you see what this young man has in store for you and report back to me about it tomorrow…and while you're gone I think I'll drop in the 'Turtle Game Shop' and have tea with Mr. Mutou."

Tea was still trying to get around the fact that Mr. Hardwick had practically thought of her as his daughter, which felt like been placed by a warm fire after been caught in a snow storm, before realizing that he had given her the day off. "B-but-"

"So can I take her now?" Yami grinned as he winked at her.

"By all means!" Mr. Hardwick allowed, giving them both a wave before disappearing into the back room, leaving the couple alone.

"Y-Yami-"

Yami grinned and made his way over to her side of the counter, gently taking her by the wrist and pulled her towards the store's entrance. She sighed in defeat and allowed him to guide her through the doors and to his shiny car, knowing already that it was pointless fighting him on this, as well knowing that she would rather spend a day with him than with anyone or anything else, any day. "Fine, but just as you know, this is the first and last time my working hours are cut."

He grinned as he opened the door for her, "Deal."

* * *

As she clipped in her seatbelt and leant up against the leather seat, she found herself gazing over at him with suspicious eyes. "When did you and my boss become such good friends?"

"Oh, a few days ago I ran into him and started _talking_," he replied, with a rather mysterious tone.

"Talking huh? About what?"

He grinned as he started the engine, "Oh just _stuff_."

Tea narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering what kind of 'stuff' had been spoken about, but before she could probe him further, he immediately changed the subject. "Have anywhere in particular you want to go to or do first?" Yami asked, relaxing back against his seat comfortably.

Tea thought for a moment, and remembered something she had wanted to do with him, which she had thought about several nights before. She turned towards him somewhat shy, not sure how he'd react when she asked him. With a small smile on her lips, she forced the words to flow through them in a soft, reluctant voice, "Why don't we go to the museum?"

Yami raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The museum?"

She nodded her head softly, "Domino City has one of the best Ancient Egyptian exhibits in the country...and well…" She flashed him a cute smile.

Yami shook his head as an amused smiled curled onto his lips, "You want to learn more about my heritage?"

"Is that weird? I mean it's just…I want to know everything there is to know about you, and well, I've kind of always had an interest in the '_Land of the Pharaohs_,' so…would you mind? I mean if you don't want to-"

Yami chuckled softly as he turned the corner, heading in the direction of the Domino Museum, "I don't think that it's weird at all, if it's something that you want to do then let's do it."

"Yeah but, are you comfortable with talking about it? I mean…last time you spoke about Egypt you didn't sound…" she racked her brain for words, but Yami already understood what she was trying to say.

"Yeah well, it's different now…" he said in that same mysterious tone he had used earlier, his eyes twinkling with amusement and a small grin twitching onto his lips.

Tea glanced at him curiously with a raised eyebrow, "How so?"

"Well…" Yami began as he pulled up in front of the museum, "My girlfriend finds it interesting…Just imagine how many points I'll score!"

Tea shook her head without taking her eyes off him, unable to hide her grin. "So you're telling me that for '_said-girlfriend_,' you would purposely façade enthusiasm on a topic that secretly kills you inside, just so that you could…what? Impress her?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly at him as she folded her arms across her chest.

Putting on a mock look of defeat combined with a '_what-I-do-for-love_' expression, he shook his head swiftly from side, before he leaned over and gently caressed the side of her cheek with the back of his hand. The expression in his eyes changed from amusement, to a warm, loveable fondness that awoke the ever restless butterflies in her stomach, as he gently brushed away a lock of hair from the side of her face. "For her, I would do anything…" he whispered softly, gently cupping the side of her face, before pulling her in for a gentle kiss, breaking it too soon for her liking to whisper in her ear, "_Even if I must suffer a few hours of embarrassing family history._"

She giggled softly, and pulled away from him, when she realized what his words had meant. _Of course_, being of a royal line would have related him in some way or another to many of the previous Egyptian pharaohs. She hadn't thought of that before, in fact, all she had expected to come of this was a new understanding of the world her boyfriend had come from.

"_I'll make it worth your while_," she whispered seductively with a quick wink, before she leaned away from him and unclipped her seatbelt.

Yami raised an eyebrow as a smirk formed on his lips, "Can't wait."

* * *

It wasn't ten minutes later when they found themselves strolling casually down the red carpeted hallways, glancing every now and then at the displays behind the glass of other exhibits as they made their way towards the Ancient Egypt section, until they reached a large golden arched doorway, that led to a room that was made to look like an Ancient Egyptian tomb, though hardly realistic in his opinion. Tea however, thought it was wonderful.

"Wow, I'd heard that this place looked great, but I never thought it would be this amazing!" She glanced around at her surroundings, taking in the vast golden treasures of the room and beautifully decorated walls that were the exact replicas of real tomb walls, among the many beautiful artefacts that were on display.

Yami chose not to comment and instead settled for a neutral smile as he examined the death mask of some unfortunate minor prince that had never made it to the throne behind the glass of a cabinet, propped up against the wall to his right. He frowned slightly at the sight and had to remind himself that he was on a date and needed to be cheerful about - _everything_! Unfortunately, she noticed his expression before he could hide it.

"Is something wrong Yami?" she asked in a worried tone, her eyes mirroring it.

He gave her a genuine smile, before taking her hand and guiding her forward. "No, I was just thinking about something…okay, where should I begin?"

Tea regarded him for a minute, before deciding to let it go, and gave him one of her many dazzling smiles. "Wherever you want, I don't mind."

Yami glanced to his side, and once again was confronted by the simply designed death mask. Taking a deep breath he turned to face her, "You won't mind if I jump around a little right?"

She shook her head fiercely, "Of course not!"

He smiled at her, and glanced around the room once again, taking in somewhat familiar surroundings, and forced himself to recover his prided history that had been jammed into him and Yugi as kids. "You know, people have a misconception that we're obsessed with death, because of the way we continuously depicted of our many preparations for it, as well as all our beliefs…like all we wanted to do, was die, but that's actually not true, in fact it couldn't be further from it. The Egyptians loved life…they loved it so much that they wanted it to go on forever…" His open ended words allowed room for Tea to grip on to what wasn't being said, and yet so clearly implied.

"Is that why you're dad…?" she began, but trailed off when she realized how it might have affected the rest of their conversation, but Yami was surprisingly completely unfazed by it.

"We'll get to the vampire part later…I kind of need to think about how I can put it in an easy and simple way of explanation, which isn't easy to do due to its…_nature_." The way he said it, reminded Tea of someone who had tasted something incredibly sour and desperately wanted to spit the taste out.

"That's alright, sorry, I'm paying attention now Professor!" Tea said with a wink, earning a grin from him in response.

"Okay, as I was saying, the Ancient Egyptians believed that two things entered the world of the dead from the body, the _Akh_ – which was…how can I put it? It was the aspect of a person that joined the gods in the otherworld, which made sure they couldn't die a second time. Then you had the _Ba_ - this was someone's personality, which they believed entered a person's body 'with the breath of life and left at the time of death.' Now in order to enjoy peace for all eternity, what one did in one's life time was all weighed in the afterlife. I'm sure you've heard of the 'heart-weighing?' If one's heart was light, they would move on toward the 'light' as most say nowadays, but if one's heart was heavy, they would be eaten by a creature and practically, _stop existing_. And there was nothing that an Egyptian feared more, than not existing any longer."

Tea listened intently, surprised and awed by his ability to captivate her with his lecture, and dared not interrupt him.

"Now Pharaohs…" he sighed and scratched the back of his neck, with an odd expression forming on his face that seemed an in-between of exasperated humour and probable, traitorous guilt. "Were all full of shit to say the least."

Tea couldn't help, but chuckle, though she was rather surprised to hear something like that coming from him, expecting that kind of statement rather from Yugi.

"The kings of Egypt were portrayed as gods...so pyramids were built in their honour, and lavish tombs were constructed for their eternal rest and comfort, of course working in those conditions ironically sent most of the builders to their untimely, eternal rests…_but hey, as long as their king had a tomb to sleep in when he died_." Yami rolled his eyes in an inconspicuous manner, as though trying to mask how he truly felt, "But I suppose I shouldn't be so biased…the actual reasoning behind the pyramid's construction, was to create a stairway to heaven for the deceased to, well…_ascend_."

"That's…_quite smart actually_," Tea said quietly.

Yami scratched the back of his neck, briefly cocking his head to the side as he gave her one of those mid-flinched winks that generally said, '_yeah'hhh but_-'

"I guess," he said simply.

"You don't think so?" she asked after observing his reaction.

He just shrugged and smiled.

"Why not?" she pressed, now curious as to discovering what Yami actually believed in, "Don't tell me you don't believe in an after life or something?"

He raised an eyebrow with an amused smiled still planted on his lips, before shaking his head slowly, as though a little reluctant to give her his answer.

Her eyes widened, "Come on! You really don't believe one exists?"

"_It's complicated_," he stated simply in a friendly seeming tone that held a definite implication that this conversation was over, clearly uncomfortable with the topic choice. "Come on; let's move on to something else."

* * *

With the awkwardness of their last conversation that displayed a possible difference in opinion about what took place after death an hour behind them, Tea found herself holding onto Yami's hand as they continued to stroll through the museum, a wide smile on her lips and jewel like eyes sparkling with interest as he continued to gloss over the many different gods, rituals and festivals that had made up the Ancient Egyptian culture. Her favourite goddess was Bastet, the cat goddess, who as Yami explained was the daughter of the sun god Ra, and a protective female goddess. He also revealed an interesting fact about how cats in Ancient Egypt were regarded as symbols of fertility and sexuality, which was why they painted their eyes to mimic that of a feline's. She also discovered that the ancients didn't celebrate birthdays and that according to their beliefs, bees, were considered to be tears of Ra.

However, it was not until they reached the section that was dedicated to the Pharaohs that things began to get really interesting, though the look of dread on Yami's face almost had in her stitches. "Okay…_before we begin_…just remember that the royal linage is a little - _strange_."

Another realization dawned on her at hearing his words, something else she had forgotten about. "Oh, I forgot about _that_…"

Yami chuckled in an almost regrettable way and shook his head, "Do you know why?"

"Something about, _keeping the line pure_?" she offered, as a slight blush burnt on her cheeks. She had learnt about the practise of incest among the ancients especially where the royals were concerned back in school, and although as students they all pulled faces and made comments about it, she had never felt as uncomfortable about it, as she did now…

He nodded seeming almost embarrassed by this fact, "Yeah that pretty much covers it. My…_father_… in particular, was the product of…wait let me think about this for moment."

His gaze turned thoughtful as his arms involuntarily crossed, and casually leant himself up against the railing that surrounded an exhibit of a mummy in its sarcophagus, his back facing it as though he had seen enough of it. "Okay…_his father_ was also _his mother's father_…and also _her brother_, because he took _his mother_ as one of his lesser wives when _his father_ passed away…" He was talking more to himself than to her, but that didn't stop the shock and disgust from welling up in her as she followed his words attentively, feeling her face drain of all colour and her eyes growing wider and wider at each mention of an _involved_ family member.

He finally nodded his head as though he had finished calculating a difficult sum. "Yeah, basically my grandfather married his mother, had a daughter from her, then later married her as well, and _from that_-" he turned at an almost causal pace to face her, bringing his eyes up to level his gaze with hers, "Produced my fa- … _Tea are you alright_?" He immediately noticed the drainage of colour from her cheeks and horrified expression, wondering if he had perhaps gone a little too far in his explanation.

Tea swallowed an imaginary lump in her throat, trying her best to cover up her bewilderment over the topic, with a desperate shake of her head, waving her hands up in front of her at the same time, "No, no, no! I'm Fine! Don't worry about me I was just…just uh…just umm…"

"A little creeped out?" Yami suggested with a slight amused smirk.

Tea glanced away shyly and suddenly became very interested with her finger nails as he flicked them against each other, biting her bottom lips nervously as she racked her brain for an appropriate response. "Um…_a little_…" It reminded her too much of the relationship her own father had had with her in the past…and suddenly the package, _which up until now she had almost forgotten about_, flashed back in her memory, but she didn't want to remind Yami of that, in fact she didn't want him to even know that she was thinking about it, aware that he was doing all this to distract her, despite how difficult it was for him. _God she loved him_.

Yami chuckled at her cute response and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, which she allowed without hesitation. "Sorry, I shouldn't have gone into so much detail, I'm used to talking about things like this with _beings_ that were from the period in which it was considered practically _normal_. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? Want me to stop?"

She shook her head from side to side, without removing her forehead from his chest. "No way! I want to learn more!" _Even she had trouble convincing herself that she did_.

Yami knowingly, smiled down at her, "Just leave out the disgusting bits?"

"If it can be helped…" she said softly, after cautiously thinking about her answer, flashing him a bright smile in return, before biting her lip again in an almost nervous manner, "But I have to ask one thing…why did he…marry his_…daughter?"_

Yami rolled his eyes just as disgusted as she was, "They were a bunch of psychopaths, already mentally dysfunctional from previous incestuous relationships. Who knows?"

Tea smiled into his shirt. "You know more than you're telling me don't you?" she said in a tone that completely lacked surprise.

He nodded and grinned, "Trust me, there's a lot _you don't want to know_…but for now, why don't we stray away from this topic and move on to another? Like perhaps…the almighty pharaoh Rameses the second, also known as Rameses the Great? Heard of him?"

Tea nodded her head, having vaguely recalled hearing of him, but not really knowledgeable about his background, other than knowing he was proclaimed as one of the greatest Egyptian kings and lived a really long time.

"Hmm…" Yami hummed softly as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "From text books right, do you want to hear about the things that most people don't know?" He wore a rather mischievous smirk on his lips, which she would have imagined belonged on a conspirator's face, and found it rather infectious.

"Oh? Like what?" she asked, casting him a curious look.

"Well, let's start with an overall picture of the man that is portrayed to the public…he was, and I will stand by it, a great leader, worthy of the respect he received from his subjects as well as from other kingdoms and also a military genius, often unmatched in the field by winning battle after battle, _effortlessly_…However, if there was ever a word more fitting to describe him by; '_horn-dog,_' would most certainly be it. He had eight official wives, the principal wife being the infamous Nefertari, and several concubines and slaves to keep him entertained, in which he spawned over a hundred children from." _He decided to leave out that two of his wives were also his daughters_, _for her own sake_.

The boggled Tea's mind, "More than one hundred! How did he keep track of all of them or did he choose a handful of his favourites and ignore the rest?"

Yami chuckled, "You'd be surprised actually, children were the greatest blessing of all that the gods could give them, since most died during infancy or really young, so as strange as this might sound to you, considering the cold image often portrayed in other civilisations during that time - _of their harshness towards their children and absence of fondness_…the Egyptians loved their children, similarly to how much parents of today do. I don't doubt that Rameses was as every bit involved with each individual child's life."

Tea shook her head, continuing to be surprised by this magical ancient world that was so different from any other. "All I can say about this guy is wow! Was he like the heartthrob of Egypt at the time or something?" she grinned, aware that it wouldn't have mattered if he was a hunk or a troll, as the king, if he wanted sex, he would have gotten it one way or another without question, but Yami nodded anyway, yet there was a slight twinkle of secretive amusement in his eye.

"At the time he was...but do you want to know a physical characteristic of his that not many people know about?" he asked in a mysterious voice, which immediately intrigued her.

"Do tell," she grinned excitedly.

"He was a _carrot-top_."

She gasped, "No way!"

"He had red hair. I'm being serious, he had red hair," Yami repeated after viewing her disbelieving expression. "And not the dark type either, it was a fiery, orange colour, and according to rumour he was also had a fire-" his eyes widened as he realized what was about to allow slip, and choked on the last word, causing him to cough.

Tea glanced at him innocently, "A fire-what?"

"Uh…a fiery temper," he added quickly, which was actually true to some extent, just not what he had intended to say first. "A typical red-haired stereotype."

Tea grinned catching on to the joke, "Did he have freckles as well?"

"Undoubtedly," Yami said through a grin of his own.

She was about to make a joke, when another thought stopped her, and she raised her eyes excitedly to his. "Okay totally different pharaoh and topic, but I've got to know! What happened to King Tut!"

Yami grinned and removed his gaze from hers as he laughed at what seemed like a private joke, "The modern world's intrigue in the mystery surrounding his death fascinates me."

Tea took his hands in her own and gave him a cute pleading look, "Come on Yami! It's one of the best secrets ever kept by the ancient world! You've got to tell me, you have no choice!"

"Oh, really?" Yami asked through a smirk with a raised eyebrow, seeming to challenge her.

"Yes…" she began softly, before dropping one of his hands to use her own to trail an intricate pattern on his well developed chest that was one-hundred-percent muscle and nothing else. "_I might be willing to reward a few hundred points for it."_

"Well with that offer up for grabs, _how could I possibly refuse_," Yami whispered lowly with a wink, before glancing around him as though making sure that they were completely alone. He bent down and whispered the answer in her ear, causing here eyes to widen with surprise.

"Come on, you're kidding me! That's how he died?"

He nodded his head, "Afraid so, _curiosity satisfied_?"

She shook her head in disbelief, before nodding a reply. "_Man_, the more I hear about your family, the more I'm starting to wonder how the hell you ever came from it," she joked, to which he simply smiled and shrugged at in response.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

* * *

The minute Yami left the apartment Lamia took claim over the bedroom, slamming the door behind her and shutting Yugi completely out of it, _richly claiming that she needed her sleep_. He didn't know whether or not that she was suggesting _that he didn't_, or that she was implying her needs were supposed to seen as more important than his. However, her attitude was the last thing on his mind as he locked himself in the bathroom, his head pounding in that all too familiar way that he had known for most of his life.

He was breathing heavily an rapidly, as his vision dimmed and brightened in a continuous sequence, not yet swimming or spinning, but seemed to be just on the edge of it. He flung two supportive hands up against the wall and leant against it, closing his eyes as though trying in an almost ironical way to escape his blackening vision. A sudden cough erupted from his chest, surprising him into awareness by forcing his eyes open in time to notice three tiny droplets of blood that stained the white, porcelain sink below him.

Breathing in deeply, he forced his eyes closed again, knowing that what was about to happen was inevitable. It wasn't long after that he felt a surge of electricity, pulse through his entire being, which was soon washed over by a dark numbing wave that fell from the base of his neck and down his shoulders, finally reaching up and grabbing hold of his mind…_and then_ he felt absolutely nothing, as his body slid down the wall and fell limply to the ground, the darkness swallowing him whole.

* * *

They didn't stay at the museum too long after that conversation, though Yami had managed to squeeze in a few more facts such as how the Egyptians used to make their houses with mud bricks that they made themselves, to an interesting fact about Cleopatra, _which Yami made very clear_, he _was not_ related to, which was the fact that she wasn't actually Egyptian at all, but in fact Macedonian, and was the first ruler of her family who could actually _speak_ the Egyptian language!

They decided to then take a casually paced stroll towards the beach since it was nearby, and enjoyed the salty sea air as it brushed over them. Her thoughts went back to the museum where she had learnt quite a bit about Yami's culture and _in a way_, his historical background, and although it was weird to learn about his direct and famous relatives, it brought about a realization that it was because of 'vampire existence' that she and Yami were able to be together _in this particular time_…had it not being for them, the only awareness she probably would have had of him, was a few paragraphs in an encyclopaedia and perhaps a picture of him, taken off his own tomb wall's art display, which would have never done his justice, not by a long shot.

It was scary to think that way…_to know _that she wouldn't have thought twice about him, yet alone love him the way she did. He would have been just another ancient dead guy to her.

_And Yami_? He would never have known her and would've probably taken the throne right after his father's death, _since he was the older twin_, and would have immediately taken _another woman_ as his queen, as well as _several others_. And it killed her to think of him loving anyone else but her in such an intimate way, and even more so when she thought about him _dying young_, which was the fate of most of the ancients from that time.

The thoughts made her shiver, which Yami mistook for a sudden chill. "Are you getting cold? Do you want my jacket?"

She shook her head, feeling rather embarrassed to allow such odd thoughts to stir such raw emotion within her. "No, I was just thinking about something…_weird_."

They came across a colourful ice cream vendor that played a rather sweet - and yet somehow – _creepy_ tune. Yami grinned at her and beckoned her toward it with a nod in its direction. "Ice-cream?"

She smiled, "Mint?"

"You've got it," he said with a small salute, before breaking away from her and heading towards it…making the girl behind the counter, _very happy_.

Tea didn't fail to notice the look of awe-struck astonishment that came over the girl's face, which was not only their age, but was also quite attractive. In an over-bubbly voice, she immediately greeted Yami, stretching her body slightly as though trying to make herself taller, revealing more of her slim and curvy body…_especially her chest_.

Tea's mood immediately darkened, but she immediately sought after her inner peace. Yami was hers, right? There was no need for her to be worried about some over-enthusiastic girl setting her sights on him, which was obviously bound to happen from time to time, he was after all incredibly hot…_so why did she suddenly feel a squeezing pressure around her heart_?

He returned a minute later and gently handed her a large cone with a tall, dark green tower of icy frosting, before dividing his attention to his own chocolate masterpiece that appeared to be coated with nut fragments. "Thank you!" she responded cheerfully, as she licked at hers, immediately flinching as its coldness burnt the tip of her tongue.

"You're most welcome," he responded with a smile, and tasted his own frozen treat, seeming more adaptable to the cold than what she was, and instead of flinching smiled in delight.

They continued to walk towards the docks, passing several of the tall and exclusive mansions that occupied the beach front…_one of them belonging to Serena's father_, though Tea wasn't sure which. They were near to the start of the dock, when Tea gave voice to a thought that had been nagging at her for a long while. "Hey Yami…can I ask you something personal? You don't really have to answer it, I'll totally understand."

They came to the wooden platform of the dock, which creaked on each step. The air smelt of salt and fish, and both could easily make out the caw of the seagulls above the crashing of the waves. However, Yami could detect several stronger odours that she couldn't, such as the rust on the little fishing boats, the stench of leaking oil, the sweat of the fishermen hard at work, and _blood_ from the fish that were in the process of being gutted.

"I'll answer anything you ask me Tea," he answered immediately, though his attention instinctively drifted off in the direction where the scent of blood was strongest, but she didn't seem to notice.

"If everything was as it was supposed to be…and there was no such thing as vampires…and you would have obviously become king when your father died...would you have…married _more than one_ woman?" The moment her last words left her mouth, she immediately regretted them, feeling so stupid for asking him such a stupid question.

For a moment there was an awkward silence between them until Yami quietly, and almost reluctantly, answered, "No, I actually wouldn't have inherited the throne, I would have been _second_ in line for it…but if I had, _yes_, I would have taken more than one wife."

Of course he would have! _By force_ right? Not by choice…he would never have wanted more than one wife surely? He wasn't that type of guy…was he?

"Yeah I know _stupid question_, you would have been forced to right, for political reasons?" Tea asked, though she hadn't been able to hide the slight nervousness in her voice as she said it. Why was she even asking him this? What point was it supposed to serve?

"_Mostly_…but I think my reasoning behind marrying others would have been just for the typical reason that I could," he said softly, which Tea would have thought was a joke, if it hadn't been for his dead-serious tone…_and it hurt_…_it hurt her like hell_.

She tried to get over it, knowing how stupid it was to get upset over something that was hypothetical. All Yami was saying that if he had been a pharaoh three-thousand years ago, he would have had a few more wives than necessary – _for the sport of it_ – but that was typical royal nature back then, he obviously didn't think he would be any different, and it wasn't like he was going to lie about it. It didn't say anything about him now, did it? _So why did it hurt_?

She felt a tight squeeze of regret around her heart and gulped down a lump in her throat, and was so upset that she hadn't realised she was speaking until it was too late. "…_can't believe you said that_." She heard herself saying those last words, but she was at a loss with words that came before them, and desperately racked her memory, in an attempt to remember. _What was wrong with her_? _Why was she taking him so seriously_?

"It's the truth Tea…" Yami interrupted, his eyes on the sea ahead, "I would have married girl after girl, until I practically had a whole collection of wives." His voice seemed uncaring though not harsh; however he didn't seem to even notice her suffering or that his words were hurting her, in fact he seemed to be in his own world as he practically destroyed hers. Was this a bad dream? It had to be! The Yami she knew was not this impostor standing before her…he couldn't be!

"How can you say that to me!" she choked, fighting back the tears that were stinging behind her eyes. "I know that all this is hypothetical, but…would you really…_want more_?" she couldn't meet his eyes, which had turned on her sharply, realizing that she was over-reacting and feeling incredibly stupid for it, yet at the same time couldn't stop the pain from killing her inside. She hadn't even realized she was crying tears, until she felt him wipe them away and pull her into his arms.

"Hey, hey…" he whispered softly in a comforting voice, as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, squeezing her briefly before pulling away and lifting her chin so that their gazes met. "Tea _listen_…the reason why I'm telling you this, is not to hurt you…it's the truth, and I know it, not because I have some secret desire and fantasy to own my own harem _as you're imagining now-" _She moved her gaze sheepishly to the side, feeling vulnerable and transparent under his gaze, knowing that he could see right through her. "- but because I know for a fact, that if I lived three thousand years ago, I would never have met someone as amazing or as beautiful as you to fill the gap that would have taken fifty maybe even a hundred women to. No woman will ever amount to, or mean as much to me as you do Tea, you're the only one I want, and will ever want."

How did he know what she felt, or how to make her feel so much better? _How did he always seem to know what went through her mind_…? He understood her so well that it scared her sometimes. She bit her bottom lip as she placed her hand over the wrist of the hand that held up her chin, before a small smile stretched across her lips. "_Smooth recovery_," she accused, though her tone was more joking than angry.

He smiled. "The truth actually," he corrected.

She closed her eyes, allowing the breezy sea-air to dry her tears, which she hoped were permanently gone. "You scared me," she all but whispered in confession.

"I'm sorry," he said softly cupping the side of her face.

"Don't scare me like that again…just get straight to the point next time," she said as she opened her eyes, a small smile curling onto her lips as the tightness around her heart released its grip.

"I'll do my best…_but it won't be nearly as romantic_," he responded, before gently pressing his lips against hers, and was surprised when she pulled back.

"Hypothetically – if I had existed three thousand years ago would I have been a wife or a concubine?" she asked in an almost playful tone, though he detected some seriousness in it.

_What a strange question to ask_. "You would have been my queen," he stated simply, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled, this time turning playful, "So that would have made me your principal wife right?"

Yami smiled and shook his head, "Tea, _hypothetically_, if we existed three thousand years ago, you would have been my only wife."

"How do you know? What you feel like now might not have been the way you would have felt back then, I mean the modern world can influence you…"

He shook his head, "No I would have defiantly felt the same way…since I was raised in the same environment that I would have being raised in then…well close to the same…_even worse_ in fact where the matter of sex is concerned, and see? _Look at how I turned out after meeting you_?" There was an almost playful hint in his tone that Tea found infectious, and suddenly all the anger and hurt that had once filled her, disappeared into a warm pleasurable feeling of ease, happiness and love.

She giggled before pulling him in for a kiss, loving the caressing movement of his lips against hers and the feeling of their bodies moulding together, and with much effort pulled away from him again, though this time it was more, gentle and not so brisk. "Thank you…that's probably the most, sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me before."

Both he and Tea had been too caught up in the moment to notice that they were been watched closely from a rusted boat not far from where they stood, and that the figure was no longer seated and relaxed, but standing upright with his foot propped up on the boat's edge for support.

Yami smiled down at her with a fond and loving expression, finding this to be the perfect moment to tell her what he had planned to tell her all day. _He was about to tell her that he loved her_, the words were right there on the tip of his tongue. Time had passed them rather quickly, and the sun had fallen considerably far down from the sky, almost disappearing below the horizon, sun-set had almost come and gone, making it the perfect time for this moment. He gently took her hands, and steadily held her gaze, parting his mouth slightly to speak. There was a look in her eye that revealed she suspected something coming, which he found to be a rather encouraging sight. Everything was so utterly perfect…_too perfect_.

He heard it before he saw it, the slight click of a metal weapon before it was fired. He turned his gaze sharply to the gun-wielding perpetrator, protectively thrusting Tea out the way to which it had been aimed at, placing himself in the line of fire, before the bullet left its barrel - _before_ the explosion thundered against the early evening's silence - _before _the figure had time to register the change in target - _before_ Tea had time to cry out…_and_ _before_ he felt a fiery pain explode through his breast plate heading towards his _heart_…!

_**To Be Continued**_

* * *

_See you next chapter. __You know you love me!_

_XOXO_

_BTW I meant no offence to red heads! I thought it was a really cool fact! (Yeah it's true and even I was suprised.) _


	16. Chapter 16

**Slowly crawls out into the open…carefully avoiding being seen…slowly, slowly – Oh damn! You guy's noticed!**

**Hehehe…Hey guys, long time no see. I really missed you all, yes, of course I did! **_**What?**_** No, I wasn't hiding from you; I was just…uh…going to surprise you all! Yeah that's it, seriously – okay, put the knives away, those things are dangerous…yeah and the guns…and no you can't set me on fire either. **

**Yikes! Talk about overreacting! Then again I kind of have left you guys hanging for quite a while, and poor Yami's been dying for…**_**has it been a month now**_**?... (Nervous laughter). Okay, so maybe I do deserve the looks you're giving me, but look on the bright side, you're finally going to find out if our uber hottie makes it or not. **

**However, I will once again apologize for my lengthy absence, and thank all my reviewers and readers for sticking by me and supporting me! You guys are all still the best and I don't know what I'd do without you! Evenifyoudowanttokillme BUT ANYWAY! Let's continue with chapter 16! **

**Disclaimer: (insert answer common sense here)**

**AN: Aww! Perfect Strangers has just turned sweet sixteen! My little story's growing up! **

**Rating: Hmmm…yeah it's a T…**_**for now**_**. (Wink – wink)**

**Okay, okay, let's get on with the story. **

* * *

_**(Yugi is currently unavailable for commentary due to his…state.)**_

**Chapter 16**

_Holy Mother of Ra-cock-fucker-Mickey mouse son of a bitch! Fuck!..._

_It hurt._

His chest stung and ached in an ungodly manner, as though a literal bomb had exploded within his chest…_or through it for that matter_.He felt the bone that had once solidly protected his heart, practically shatter on impact, and felt the bullet sharply nudge the soft tissue of his heart. His legs buckled numbly beneath him, and he sunk to the ground, feeling as though his body weighed more than a ton. Thinking was useless, as every thought that he managed to conjure up was centred on the pain, and how much he wanted it to stop.

Worse yet…he tasted blood and he smelt blood. _This was really, really bad_!

"Oh my-" Tea gasped for breath, her eyes wide with panic as she sank down with him, holding him around the waist with both arms, completely forgetting about the shooter who stood not more than twenty feet from them. "_Shit_! Yami, are you okay? Oh crap – y-you're b-bleeding! _Badly!_" He could faintly detect the hysteria in her voice, and did his best to stifle his growls of pain for her own benefit, and forced back the misty cloud that plagued his vision and senses, allowing him more awareness of his surroundings.

"T-Tea!" he gasped, feeling a slim trail of blood leak from the side of his mouth. "G-get b-behind me!" The soaring pain that came with breathing alone, was enough to make a grown man curl into a fetal position and wail bitterly at the injustice of life, but Yami sucked it up bravely, and despite the rest of his limbs being rendered immovable by the electrifying numbness and pain, he still took up as much of a defensive stance as he could muster, despite the river of blood leaking down his shirt and the sharp twinge of unbearable pain, which came with each slight movement he made. _There was no way in hell that he'd let this creep get hold of her_.

Instead of complying with his breathless demand, she instead tightened her hold on him, her eyes glancing back and forth between the open - terrifying! – wound, and his washed out complexion that was the palest she had ever seen on him before, seeming dangerously close to Bakura's. She needed to get help; she needed to – "_Tea! I said get behind me_!"

His voice, sounding much stronger, snapped her slightly out of her panicked haze, and she automatically dove behind him for cover with some _assistance_ on Yami's part as he flung and arm around her waist and guided her behind him with such force that she nearly stumbled over. She was so confused, as everything happened around her way too fast for her mind to process what was going on. Just a few seconds before, they were in each other's arms, happy and okay. Now Yami was hurt and bleeding, but was still trying to protect her from something, but what? Common sense finally dawned on her and she looked up to see a figure standing tall above them, the gun still aimed at Yami.

His finger just reached the trigger as he proceeded to fire another bullet into Yami, and Tea glimpsed at the feral, inhuman look in the thug's lemon green eyes, as he intended to silence him once and for all. She felt herself about to scream and Yami's body tense in preparation for the next hit, both feeling as though time was standing still and everything seemed unnatural silent, save for the gentle click of metal as their attacker handled the gun, and both winced for different reasons, when the second shot exploded thunderously across the dock, followed immediately by Tea's high pitched scream…

* * *

(Earlier that evening)

He woke up much slower than normal, almost as though he were fighting his way out of a coma. The darkness still had its claws on him, forcibly dragging him back into it, whenever he was close to waking up. Yet the sound of constant thudding, muffled as though he and whatever was causing it were deep under water, slowly awoke him into awareness. He first felt the dull ache return to his body, though this time it was softened and not nearly as sharp, mostly serving as a reminder of what was, before the stiffness in his joints took hold of him. His eyes groggily fluttered open and closed, unable to settle on any one thing in particular, yet alone clear up enough to make anything out.

It took him a while to realise, in his dazed confusion that he had woken up on the bathroom floor, and even more so to figure out that the wooden banging was coming from the other side of the bathroom door. _Someone wanted to get in_.

He jerkily rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, before bringing his left wrist up to his line of sight, wondering why it hurt so much, and then quickly began massaging it, swallowing several curse words back down his extremely swollen and dry throat that begged _for liquid-relief_.

The thudding increased drastically, so much that he could feel the vibrations off the floor. "Open the door!" Her voice, so eerily familiar, finally cleared from its muffled state and brought Yugi back to reality. He immediately shot into an upright position and regretted it, as a wave of dizziness washed over him, but continued to crawl off the floor and stand up, his eyes wide and partly angry. _It happened again_!

"Hello in there! Are you deaf! I need to wash up, you jerk!" Lamia's angelic, yet painfully annoying voice continued to growl from the other side of the door, and Yugi could just imagine the tight, scrunched up and brattish expression she wore. He smiled humourlessly and bit his tongue to avoid a really nasty comment in exchange for being called a jerk. She had only been invited to live with them a few hours ago, and yet she had completely taken over their living quarters like a regular queen bee…_and here Yugi thought he was forward_.

"What are you doing in ther-" she was cut off when he swung the door open, glaring at her venomously before shoving past her into the living room without giving her a backward glance. She watched after him with wide and surprised eyes, taking note of his _ill_ appearance.

"_There! Take the fucking bathroom I'm done with it_!" he hissed irritably as he shovelled his way into Yami's room, almost splitting the door in half during the process.

For once she ignored his vulgar language usage, too caught up on his blood rimmed eyes and the faint bloody trails that left them as well as his chalky complexion that seemed unnatural even for a vampire, to really take any notice. She followed hesitantly after him, stopping a little way from the bedroom and watched him move around, restlessly from the left to the right side of it, pulling out a red shirt of sorts from the closet. "Um…hey, are you…_okay_?" she asked lightly, her black eyes been the only part of her body that moved as she followed his movements.

Yugi thrust a borrowed shirt of Yami's, over his head and yanked it down his torso in one swift and violent motion, aware that it was a size too big for him, but didn't care in the least, the girl however, was pushing on his last nerve. "_Hey_! Weren't you just bitching for the bathroom a few seconds ago? What the hell are you standing here and watching me change for? Want to see what I look like underneath?" He spat sarcastically, and once again shoved past her into the living room, his fiery wild eyes searching for something.

Lamia growled after him angrily. "_I don't imagine there's much to wonder about!_" she spat back, before leaning up against the wall with her arms folded. "What were you doing in the there for so long anyway?"

He flung her a look, before ripping open a drawer belonging to the _once-desk_ and yanked out a pair of sunglasses. "None of your fucking business!"

Lamia gave him a feral cat-sounding hiss, "Stop-"

"_Stop swearing_!" Yugi mimicked in a high-pitched and mocking voice, before turning to glare at her. "Just shut up! Okay? Just shut the fuck up, _because I'm not in the mood for your crap_." He stormed his way towards the front door with determination, his posture stiff and angry like a black thunder cloud on the move.

Lamia watched after him with a raised eyebrow, before realising what he was about to do, and immediately shot a glance up at the boarded up window, knowing that it was still light outside. She quickly turned her gaze back at him with wide eyes, "Hey! It's still light out, you know! Where are you going?"

He slammed the door behind him, not bothering to answer her question, and leant up against it feeling the desire for blood and _something else_, stronger than it had ever been. He was a mess and he knew it, had been for several days now, which were slowly turning into weeks, and it was affecting him more visibly now. How long did he have before it all spiralled out of control? _A week at the most_…even he had his limits, but this was all trivial in comparison with what he needed to do first. He didn't follow Yami all across from the other side of the world to fail now, regardless of his _condition_.

He was about to push himself off the door, when another down the hallway slammed open, and a rather unattractive face peered out at him, her expression twisted in fury and irritation. "_Oh_! Is it your crowd of _animals_ living in there that's making all that goddamn noise!" her voice seemed to get louder and louder after each word she spoke.

Yugi mentally smirked, whereas on the outside his lips curled into a snarl. Number 34…_delightful_!

"No ma'am, it's the devil that sits on you're left shoulder - banging on your closet door that _you locked him in _- telling you to just get _fucking_ laid!" Yugi all but hissed in response, mockingly raising his voice after each word as well.

She glared daggers at him, briefly reminding Yugi of the old saying, 'if looks could kill.' She seemed to be having a really bad hair day…and attempt at a perm that went horribly wrong, maybe? Her longish black hair seemed to stand up on all ends in weird curl-like towers, and it seemed greasy and sticky enough that to Yugi's imagination, if he should pluck her up towards the ceiling, her head should stick to it like gum…_but then again he hadn't gotten that much sleep_.

"How dare you!" she said in an almost witch-like shriek that hurt his sensitive hearing, causing him to wince in pain, yet his eyes widened when he took a closer look at her. It was the first time that he had taken note of her age, and was rather surprised that she appeared rather _young_, definitely under thirty, which wasn't at all like the forty-something hobgoblin that he thought, lurked in woman's clothing _and snacked on children while they slept_.

"Easy, bitch! It's called advice! A few good _bangs_ in the right _places _ought to make you feel as good as new!" he spat in an almost sarcastic manner.

The woman seemed taken aback and at a loss for words, her mouth gaping open and closed like a goldfish.

_Goldfish!_

_Oh! _Now he got it, and almost smiled, catching on to the joke a little late, but found it kind of funny in a stupid way. _Trust Yami to have a dry sense of humour at the worst of times_.

"You're sick!" his neighbour spat in disgust, with a heated look in her eyes that had seemed almost…_hurt_? And immediately slammed her door closed, giving its hard wood one final, frustrated punch that made it vibrate slightly against its hinges, and stormed away from it with heavy, angry footsteps, which faded away as she went in deeper to her apartment.

He rolled his eyes, humans were so damn sensitive. _Honestly_! He tiredly slumped back down against the wall, massaging his temples with tightly shut eyes, listening to _Number 34's_ accusation that replayed in his mind over and over again.

"Yes babe! I am," he whispered lowly, finding his lips curl into a humourless smirk as he shoved himself off the wall, swaying slightly before catching his balance. He turned around as he heard the door behind him click open, irritably coming face to face with Lamia, who stood with her arms folded and an almost murderous glare in her eyes.

He cocked an eyebrow, the annoyance never leaving his expression. "_What_?"

* * *

Yami _waited_…and _waited some more_, for the second explosion of pain to incapacitate him…_but it never came_. He looked up in time to see Yugi jump the thug from behind and gracefully grab his head, before twisting it in a clean break, and quickly flung the body to the side. His eyes scanned over to them, and widened in silent horror and what almost appeared to be _regret._

The worried and concerned look immediately vanished when he became aware of Tea's presence, and was soon replaced with a cocky and amused look, as he reached them. "Hey Tea!" he greeted causally, as though nothing traumatic had ever occurred. He gently took Yami by the shoulders and pushed him down, his eyes skimming over the wound, while keeping a relatively calm look.

"Yugi! Oh thank god! Is he going to be okay? What do I need to do? Should I call an ambulance?" Tea rambled on hysterically, her blue eyes wild with panic and her body practically vibrating with shudders. _The girl was going into shock_, something he didn't have time for.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down there _Cutie_, Yami's going to be just fine. He's always been a bit of a _girl_ when he gets hurt, trust me…_no offence by the way_." Yugi grinned and winked at her, as he in an almost inconspicuous manner, placed a hand on Yami's chest, and gently applied pressure on the bullet wound.

"B-but…he usually heals! Like super fast! The last time he was shot – h-he, you know – the wound just closed! W-why isn't that h-happening now?" she continued to babble, her wide blue eyes seeming on the brink of crocodile tears. She was truly terrified from what Yugi could tell, and her heart-rate was speeding up to a dangerous pace that if left alone would have meant her death, plus she was prone to panic attacks, and medically that meant she needed to be sedated fast…_well, Yugi could help with that_.

"_Yeah_, the chest is the most vulnerable area of a vampire's body; because it's the slowest to heal, but he'll be alright soon enough. Look can you do me a favour for a second, _just look at me_ -" he caught Tea's frightened gaze and held onto it, working on his '_persuasion_' skills, which worked like a charm. "There that's it…things are going to be okay, alright? So you're going to calm down now, _right_?" She nodded her head, her gaze seeming more and more relaxed, though still held a slight amount of anxiousness. "Good, now can you please do me a favour? I need you to run down to the beach and find our new recruit. You can't miss her, she stands out quite…_brightly_…look for long white hair, pale skin and black eyes, go up to her and tell her that you're Yami's girlfriend…don't worry she won't hurt you. Bring her back here, okay?"

Tea nodded determinedly and hurried off in the beach's direction, glancing behind her one last time, as tears flowed from the corners of her eyes. Yugi nodded at her, smiling encouragingly until she disappeared from sight. His expression changed immediately, as concern and shock moulded in its place.

"_Holy hell_!" he grumbled under his breath as he closely examined the wound, from which a river of blood flowed out.

"D-damn it Y-Yugi! S-she c-can't be left…alone w-with L-Lamia!" Yami coughed wetly before wincing in pain.

Yugi shook his head half-heartedly, his attention elsewhere. "Lamia isn't here, I just wanted her out of the way, because this might be the last thing you'll want her to see right now…_all things considered_." The truth was that if Yugi didn't act quickly, Yami was going to die. He peered into the gory wound, looking for the bullet, taking note of his brother's almost non-existent and damaged breastplate that '_luckily_' seemed to have taken most of the hit.

Yami chuckled breathlessly without humour, "S-smart."

Yugi's first aid training immediately kicked into gear. Since Yami was shot in the chest, it was very important that he sealed the wound to keep air from being sucked in, which prevented Yami's lungs from collapsing, and remembered that plastic was generally the best option. He dug into his back pocket and pulled out a tiny square and silver package. Yet what he noticed at the same time however, created the same kind of winding experience of a hard blow in the gut. _The bullet was lodged very closely to his brother's heart_…

"H-hey…w-what h-happened t…to you? You…o-okay?" Yami asked, his eyes seemed to dim as a hazy daze swept over them, and he didn't seem to able to focus all that well.

"Really Yami, you're asking me how I am bro?" Yugi asked rhetorically, as he set to work, peeling open the package.

Yami squinted at the silver papered object and lazily rose an eyebrow halfway, "Is-ss that a…_condom_?"

"Yep!" Yugi said a little more energetically, "Perfect for an occasion when you find yourself utterly _fucked_. Okay…this might hurt a little."

"You c-carry co…condoms a-around?" Yami grinned weakly, his head rolling back slightly as the world began to spin. There was so much blood around him, its scent intoxicating and forbidden, and yet his body was too weak to react to any of it.

Yugi shot him a worried look that lacked amusement and bit the side of his tongue, before pulling off his borrowed shirt and eyed the bloody wound warily as he carefully yanked the bullet out, causing blood to spurt and splatter over his chest. Yugi, himself, had a hard time holding back the urge to indulge in his brother's delicious scented blood that practically bathed over both of them, but the urge to save him was much stronger, allowing him full control over himself. He immediately stuck his condom-protected finger into the wound, and used the shirt to apply pressure on it, mentally congratulating himself on pulling off such a dangerous operation without further damaging Yami's fragile heart. _Especially since he had actually failed his first aid course…_

Yami gasped in pain, his body rigid and stiff as he gulped for breath or relief, his teeth bared and clenched in a tight grimace. "Fu-_uuu_-ck!" He growled, panting and breathing heavily.

"Sorry brother," Yugi apologized weakly; as he took note of the large amount of blood that was starting to pool around them. Yami was bleeding too much too fast, and if it continued to do so, his brother would immediately go into shock, _which was most definitely fatal in this case_. He immediately lifted Yami's right arm with his free hand, and applied extra pressure on a pressure point just below his armpit, in an attempt to slow down his blood flow.

Of all the places to have been shot in, Yami certainly had the worst, for both _vampire_ _and human_. On a human's body, chest wounds were extremely difficult to apply pressure to, due to the fact that the ribs made it hard to compress the structures that were bleeding. Chest wounds also posed many problems in terms of dealing with a victim going into shock, as the standard protocol required that their legs be elevated up from the ground slightly…but if you did that with a chest-wound victim, they would bleed out more quickly. _And Yami was bleeding fast enough without that_.

"Yami, hang tight bro, you're going into shock, but don't worry I have an idea!" Yugi risked releasing the pressure he had held on Yami, and with his inhuman and vampiric speed, collected the man's body, which he had just killed and brought it back with him - immediately placing a hand back on his brother's chest. The body was still warm, which was good, the only problem being that without a heart beat the blood wouldn't be so easy to flow out his veins…_luckily Yugi knew a thing or two on how to make a body bleed_.

There was the sound of crunching and snapping, which brought Yami slightly out of his semi-unconscious state, as he tried to figure out what was going on around him, before blood spilt over his mouth. Instinctively his tongue swept over his lips, and his pupils dilated widely as the decadently delicious taste exploded on his taste buds.

"Drink Yami!" Yugi commanded sternly, "It's the only way you'll heal!"

There was more crunching and snapping, and before Yami could process what Yugi had said, more blood flowed over his mouth. He automatically opened up and allowed a steady river of blood to flow down his throat, hungrily lapping at it without a single conscious thought to stop him. The pain, however, eventually prevented him from continuing, and he gave into to a small choking cough, as a sharp ache sparked through his being.

Yugi pulled back the shirt, and gently moved the condom aside, noting that his heart was at least starting to show signs of healing. Yami was very lucky that the bullet hadn't gone completely through, which he had only his vampiric solid-bone structure to thank for. He continued to mutilate the shooter's body, not caring whether or not someone would pass by and bare witness to the grizzly affair. His brother's life was dangerously _over_ the edge. He poured more blood into Yami's mouth, and forced it down with fierce urgency

Yami swallowed hard and rested his head back against the hard wooden ground, squeezing his eyelids shut as another burst of pain rattled his insides. Checking the wound once again, Yugi was slightly relieved to see that the worst of it had healed, and that the bleeding had finally slowed, which was a promising sight…_but that didn't mean much just yet_.

_He needed more blood_.

Yugi temptingly looked down at his own wrist, contemplating on giving Yami some of his own blood…

Yami, now more aware and alert, caught the glance Yugi had on his wrist, and immediately jerked away from him. "No - Ah!" he flinched as pain seared across his chest from the movement.

Yugi looked over at him, with a small conflicted frown. "Yami…it could heal you immediately," he said softly…_carefully_.

Yami growled warningly through a pain filled flinch. "I will not be turned into a vampire Yugi!"

"It's going to happen anyway Yami! It may as well be now!" Yugi argued, bringing his wrist up closer to his lips, preparing to bite through his flesh.

"Not if I can help it!" Yami growled angrily, his eyes blazing with fury.

_Shocked_ – Yugi slowly let his arm fall, and stared wide-eyed at his twin brother. "Yami…you aren't being serious-"

"_Yugi, now is not the time to have this conversation_," Yami growled lowly, and coughed yet again, feeling as though his throat and chest were on fire.

Yugi gulped back and nodded his head in understanding. Yami was right; this was definitely not the right time to have this conversation. Getting worked up right now was the last thing his brother needed. "Okay…well, we've got to get you somehow to safety…and a blood source, _fast_!"

He thought about their options for several seconds, finding that this was going to be much more, trickier than he thought. He was about to rethink them, when Yami took in a deep breath. "Yugi…what's bleeding at the moment?" He sounded weak and breathless, and utterly exhausted.

Yugi took a quick look, "Nothing major - _major_…but you're still bleeding pretty badly."

Yami attempted an awkward nod, before nudging his head in the direction of the mutilated body. "Get his gun."

Yugi gasped and shot him a wide-eyed look of horror, "What the fuck for?"

"You need to get it…don't argue with me," he rolled his eyes half-heartedly, before seeming to stare off dazedly into space, at something in the sky.

Yugi reluctantly got up and dashed over to where the gun lay discarded and plucked it up, before hurrying back at a speed that was impossible to see, jerkily kneeling down next to him, with a cautious expression. "Um…okay, now what?"

Yami glanced back at the gun, his eyes reluctant in showing emotion. "Okay…I need you to get one of the bullets."

Yugi raised an eyebrow, giving Yami a curious look, before turning his gaze back to the dangerous weapon, carefully looking it over. He hadn't ever used a gun before, and knew very little about them, but it didn't take him long to work out how to unload it. He carefully took out a golden bullet, rolling it between his fingers with such care, as though it were the most fragile thing he had ever touched. Glancing over at Yami, he swallowed hard. "Okay…what do you want me to do with it?"

Yami unintentionally grimaced.

Yugi immediately backed off with a shocked and outraged expression on his face. "Fuck no! There is no way in hell it's going to end like this you fucking son-of-a bitch! I'm not going to be the one that kills you Yami! I won't fucking shoot you, you can forget it!" he flung the gun angrily aside, and glared down at Yami, _who in return just stared at him with a bored and sarcastic look in his eyes_.

"_Yugi_…I need you to use the gun powder in that bullet…I need you to take it out and put it on the wound…and then I need you to set it alight, with a match or something...no shooting required." Yami explained carefully, with a _carefully_ controlled voice that made Yugi feel as though he were a child being reprimanded.

He widened his eyes further, "What do you want me to do that for?"

Yami narrowed his eyes, "To close the wound and stop the bleeding, _you dumb ass_!"

Yugi glanced from the bullet to his older twin's face, "But that's going to fucking _hurt like hell_, not to mention what other kind of shit it could cause!"

"But it'll work… _Do it_." Yami said softly and closed his eyes, feeling the waves of exhaustion pull him under its warm seeming blanket.

Yugi looked at the bullet nervously, before effortlessly breaking it in half, and poured its powdered contents onto the wounded flesh. He pulled out his lighter, suddenly finding it ironic that he had taken up smoking just a few days before, and reluctantly positioned it…_this had to be the dumbest thing he was ever going to do_.

"This is so stupid," he complained, feeling a phantom sweat drop, slide down the side of his forehead. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

A ghost of a smile played on Yami's lips. "I wouldn't dream of it little brother."

"_Kids, don't try this at home_." Yugi closed his eyes and flicked.

* * *

Tea found herself desperately hurrying along the wooden platform deck that made up the Domino docks, and almost tripped when she hit the sand. Yugi's words had an interesting effect on her, which in her wild rush of duty, went by her, completely unnoticed. It was like experiencing emotion through glass - _she believed_ Yami was going to be okay and that there was nothing to worry about, and had the confidence to back it up…but deep down inside her the hellish and ugly truth of it was liquidating her insides and thrashing about uncontrollably, begging her to pay more attention to it.

And if she had of paid more attention to it for just a moment, she would have noticed how artificial she felt.

There weren't many people on the beach; just a few that sat in tiny clusters of friends. Otherwise it seemed pretty abandoned, and there was no one with the same description of the girl, Yugi had told her to look for. She glanced around for the obvious first, the white hair colour, not something that was common to come across on most occasions. Her wide blue eyes scanned every individual she came across, catching sight of blondes, mostly brunettes, and strangely enough, one lonesome _red-head_, which made her smile slightly, despite the immense pressure she felt.

Their new _recruit_ was nowhere to be seen.

Tea gulped back her frustrated sigh of disappointment and lost her smile upon the realization of this, and wanted nothing more than to turn around and run back to Yami to see with her own eyes that he was okay…but for some reason she couldn't. Her mind would not process the necessary movement requirements to make her way back to them, _without finding this new vampire_.

Yami hadn't really gone into detail about _her_. The only thing he had told Tea was that they had come across one that _wasn't_ Bakura and that Yugi was keeping her safe somewhere. Unfortunately she was so preoccupied with other issues at hand that she never really got around the fact that there was a new vampire in Domino City. When exactly had this started happening? There had once been a time, where the only dangers she had to look out for were her father and James, _and vampires didn't exist_…now the city seemed to be crawling with them.

A guy rushed passed her and leapt upwards towards the sky, trying to catch hold of a red Frisbee and failing miserably. He fell forward and skilfully rolled over onto his feet again, laughing. He was someone she vaguely recognised, with a tall muscular frame, lightly toned skin, shaggy blonde hair, and the moment he turned around to face her direction, she immediately recognized his honey coloured eyes…

She gasped for breath, her eyes terrified as she darted several steps back, feeling an airtight scream darting up her throat.

"Showing some skills there man?" A voice called to him from behind her.

He plucked up the Frisbee, with a widely amused grin on his face and straightened his posture, curling his hands around the disk in preparation to throw it back. He was about to reply to his friend's question when his eyes landed on Tea, his greeting smile, fading slightly when he noticed her look of terror.

"Yo Joey! You going to pass that back while I'm still young _and hotter than you_?" his friend chuckled in the distance.

It was him, the guy who delivered the package. The guy who worked for the Devil as he had claimed…her father! She needed to run; she needed to get away to a place somewhere safe…_but damn, she first needed to find the new vampire girl_. It was only then that she started realizing that something was terribly wrong with her; she was in danger, and all she could think about was finding someone that clearly wasn't on the beach, and she would not leave under any circumstances _until she found her_.

Joey raised an eyebrow, confusion evident in his expression. "Hey, are you alright?" His words were thickly coated with a Brooklyn sounding accent, and naturally roughed edged, but his tone was kind and concerned, which was rather rare to receive from strangers in a city with a social structure of _dog-eats-dog_ kind of world.

"It's you!" she gasped, taking another retreating step backwards, "You're the delivery guy that works for-"

"Come on man! What's the hold up?" the same voice called out from behind her.

The guy seeming annoyed, flung a look at his friend, "Yo Tristan, keep you're panties on!" He rolled his eyes and turned back to her, "Hey sorry, do I know you-"

She didn't wait for him to finish before she turned to flee, accidentally running right into a guy that was running towards her at the same time. Luckily he seemed to have far more balance than she did, probably from years of athletic training, and steadied her before she fell flat on her back. "Whoops! Sorry about that, are you okay?" he asked her, as she pulled free of his rather loose grip, and looked up at him, surprised to see that she actually did recognise this one. _Tristan Taylor_!

At first, Tristan wasn't looking at her, and instead had his gaze trained on his friend Joey, his eyes filled with amusement. "Man Joey, I've seen girls run from you in the past, but this is just ridiculous." He turned his gaze back to hers, and immediately gasped in surprise. "T-Tea?"

"Tristan!" she squeaked.

_Oh boy_…what was he doing here? She hadn't seen him since high school, and even then it was barely glimpses of him on the rare occasions where they'd cross paths, since they were on different sides of social groups. Back then he'd being pretty boyish and often got into fights with the wrong crowds, but now as she looked him up and down hastily, she noticed that he had since developed quite nicely physically, now adopting more muscle to his frame, and a slight darker tan. He still kept his trademark Mohawk and charming grin, which she supposed just made him, _him_, but there was something different about the light in his olive green eyes…_perhaps a sign of maturity_?

He grinned down wickedly at her, "Wow, I never thought you'd run into my arms again – sorry babe, but you'll have to get in line, _I'm kind of unavailable at the moment_."

_Or maybe not_. Guess the different shade of lighting in his eyes had a whole different meaning.

She narrowed her eyes at him and ground her teeth together, temporarily forgetting about Joey, and focussed her irritation on the guy who stood before her, stepping away from him and folding her arms defensively over her chest. "I'd be too afraid of waiting in that line with the _kind of girls_ you'd take an interest in, even if I wanted to, and hell would freeze over before I do. And F-Y-I, I'm way, _way_ taken – anyway!"

He smirked at her as though he found her reaction amusing…_which he probably did_, and she just wanted to slap him!

"You haven't changed a bit Tea, still got the same old kick ass persona. It's good to see you again," he said kindly, his amusement seeming to soften into what looked almost like fondness. _Almost_!

"Am I _ever_ going to get introduced round here?" Joey whined from behind her, suddenly reminding everyone of his presence.

Tea gasped and instinctively cowered into Tristan, her eyes returning to Joey's confused ones. Tristan looked down at her in surprise before glancing over at Joey with a cocked eyebrow. "Joey what the hell did you do to her?"

Joey's mouth gaped open, and he flashed Tristan a look of bewilderment. "Wha-what? Me? I didn't do anything! I've never even seen her before!" he defended, throwing glances between him and Tea.

"Yes you have! You son of a bitch, you sent me that sick and awful package from my father!" she spat angrily, her eyes closing as memories of its contents flashed through her mind, feeling a violent tremor pulse through her body.

"I-I don't know what your talking about-" he began but she immediately interrupted him, with a bitter cough of disgust.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! You're as sick as he is to accept money to hand out something that terrible! Hope it was worth it because both of you are going to land up in a cell together!" she threatened angrily, not registering fully on what she was saying; until she saw his eyes go wide.

Tristan suddenly nudged her in the side, with a baffled and surprised expression of his own, looking at Tea as though she had lost her mind. "Whoa there, hang on a sec! What package are you talking about?"

Tea glared up at him venomously, "I just told you! The one my _f_…_father_ had him deliver to me!"

Tristan just looked at her, "Yeah I know that, but Joey delivers a lot of _anonymous_ packages, you can't exactly expect him to know what you're talking about." His words were in a neutral sounding tone, but his eyes were rather dismissive, revealing that he had already sided with Joey on this one.

"What do you mean he delivers a lot of-?"

"He works as a delivery boy Tea," Tristan informed her with a calm, but cold voice.

"Uh…sorry to cut in here peeps, but what exactly have I done?" Joey seemed lost all of a sudden, just like Tea had felt when the one moment she and Yami had been great, then all of the sudden he was on the floor dying…_Yami_! What was she doing here? She had to get back to Yami, she had to find the new vampire and get back to Yami!

Joey was still looking at her as she backed away, her eyes once again searching the beach for a white haired girl, finally spotting her walk past a crowd up ahead of them, along the concrete walkway of the car park which lead on to the beach, her back turned to her.

"There she is!" she gasped, and launched forward, but halted in mid step as she remembered she still had unfinished business with the confused appearing blonde that was still staring wide-eyed at her. She shot him a stern and warning look, before tightening her jaw, "Stay away from me, do you understand? Don't ever come near me ever again!" She backed away from them slowly, before spinning around on her heels and hurried off after the white haired figure. "Hey! Wait up!" she called after her.

Tristan and Joey stared after her wide-eyed and baffled, Joey more so than Tristan. "Uh…Triss? Wha's up with that girl?" he asked carefully, his eyes following after her running form with large honey eyes.

Tristan shook his head and turned to face his long time friend, "Don't know man, _drugs probably_." He grabbed the Frisbee out of Joey's hands and held it up smugly. "Too slow brother! My _mom_ could have held on more, tighter than you!" Meanwhile in the back of his mind, he pondered over Tea's abnormal reaction, reminded briefly of an incident in _their past_ where she had shown a similar kind of hysteric reaction at the question of her father's sudden and abrupt disappearance from her life, which had fuelled many of his suspicions about the man's character, but Mr. Gardner had been a very well and highly respected man, making it impossible for him to believe that there was anything sinister going on behind her closed doors.

Joey shot him an amused grin, before swiping the Frisbee back, "Yeah Tristan, I know how _tight_ your mom is!"

"Oh you're asking for it man!" Tristan growled before tackling Joey to sand. The boys wrestled playfully for several minutes, unknowing of the dangers that surrounded them in the shadows, while Tea made her way straight into them, following a white haired figure further and further away from the safety of the public eye.

"Hey!" she called after her, almost bumping into a couple holding hands. She muttered an apology and carried on dodging her way over to _her_. She narrowly avoided tripping over a random brick in the middle of the pathway, her gaze temporarily broken away from the vampire's retreating form, to look at the object, and by the time she caught her balance and glanced up, there was no sign of her anywhere. "What the hell?"

She looked from her left to her right, her eyes scanning the seemingly deserted area around her, realizing for the first time that she was completely alone…_pursuing a vampire_! She hiccupped on a stranded breath, and took a small step backwards, her eyes scanning all the dark corners that surrounded her, before whirling around to make a quick run for it in the opposite direction, _coming face to face with none other than Bakura_…

He smiled at her politely, though his eyes were curious, and he had a single eyebrow arched in a questioning manner. "Evening," he greeted automatically, seeming slow with his words. She felt her lips part and close nervously, her mind racing on what to do and was too jumbled to make a coherent sense. When she took too long to respond to him, he figured she wouldn't, and immediately continued onward, "Was there something you wanted?"

"I uh- I…I," she choked on her words, taking a careful step backwards.

"You were following me?" He regarded her very carefully.

"No!" she said a little too quickly, causing him to raise his eyebrows. "I was…" _Crap_, she was following Bakura all along, and now he had her trapped, with Yami unable to protect her. _This really wasn't good_.

"Where are Prince Atem and _his brother_?" he asked casually, as he shoved his hands in his pockets, causing her to flinch, and he immediately gave her an apologetic smile. "You needn't be afraid of me human, I mean you no harm…_it is Bakura you must be wary of_. I will not hurt you."

Tea gave him a nervous and wary look, wondering how safe it was exactly to trust an obviously, insane vampire that was going through an identity crisis, before slowly nodding her head, not meeting his gaze. "Uh, I have to go!" she tried to make a run for it, but he simply stepped to the side and cut her off.

"Why the rush? Surely you must have had reason for following me? Or…perhaps you were looking for someone else? Were you, _human_?" There was a very intimidating tone in his voice that Tea didn't like, but it also revealed a certain curios quality to it that warned Tea to think carefully about how she answered. Common sense told her that she shouldn't reveal anything to Bakura, which sounded eerily like _Yami's voice_ in a way.

"I-I'm sorry…_I mistook you for someone else_," she said carefully, swallowing hard. "I'll get out of your way now!"

He held a hand up to stop her, giving her a hard, but calm look. "Maybe I can help you find this person, what's his or _her_ name?"

Tea felt a cold chill slide up her back and dig its way into her shoulder blades, but forced herself to remain calm. "I don't know…I've never-" she stopped herself, feeling as though it was of utmost importance that she didn't reveal the gender of the vampire she had been looking for, as though it were by some instinctive alarming bell. "- we've never met before."

He nodded his head thoughtfully seeming to believe her. "_That's a shame_. Though I should caution you to be more careful about running up to people that you've never met before; one of them could be a _vampire_." He gave her a pointed look that was dead serious and completely lacked humour, clearly not toying around with her. "That would be most unfortunate now, _wouldn't it_?"

She gulped and took a small step back, deeply disturbed by his words. In horror movies it was generally rhetorical and ironic statements like that, made by the killer to his victim that generally meant he was going to pounce at any minute…which was exactly what she was expecting him to do.

He lightly closed his eyes for a moment before opening them with an almost softened gaze, "Take care young human, _our days of peace won't last long_. I don't wish to put this responsibility on you, but I doubt Prince Atem will hear from me, so if you'll please, deliver him this message that he should take your life into regard far more seriously than he is now, for it is gravely in danger...I'm sure you're already aware of that, _and this is only the beginning_." He lowered his gaze to the ground with a thoughtful frown, before biting his lips and looking up at her with a slightly embarrassed grin, "I sound far too formal when I speak don't I?"

Tea was a little taken aback by the question, noticing that when he flashed her, that slight revelation of vulnerability, he didn't appear dangerous at all - _scary how looks could be so deceiving_. She hesitantly nodded her head, her eyes still wide with distrust and caution, and she failed to return his smile, or even relax her posture.

He seemed to understand and nodded his head slowly as though at some unspoken request or perhaps an acknowledgement in this case. "_Yeah_, I find it hard fitting in with these modern times, the usage of language just keeps changing and changing…" he drifted off, seeming to catch himself before he went totally off topic and cleared his throat, stiffening and straightening his posture as he changed back into business mode. "I find you to be a rather interesting human…_Tea_, _is it_? You are the only human I know of; to hold the secret of our existence and be allowed free reign…and so far it seems that you can be trusted with it. It is because of this I shall share this advice with you – _leave Prince Atem now_, while you still can, and forget you ever knew him, that is, _if you want to live_. A human and a vampire can never be together, such a thing has been forbidden by the gods, and I advise you do not tempt their rage." His matter of fact tone was spine chilling.

Forgetting that she was afraid of him, she was suddenly overpowered by rage that someone would dare tell her what to do about her relationship with Yami, parting her lips to angrily tell him where to shove his advice when he held up a hand briskly to stop her. "Consider it is all I ask, and I can imagine that it is a lot…_interestingly_, a human's heartbeat has a certain rhythm-pattern that it follows when it's in love, something that human hearing cannot trace, but a vampire's can. _It's unfortunate you love him_, really it is…"

Something immediately changed within him as he closed his eyes and shook his head, his facial expression softening drastically as though he had suddenly allowed the walls he had built around himself to collapse. "No…forgive me _Tea_, it is not unfortunate…in fact it is truly wonderful that you can love…that you can make _him_ feel love. There is no other feeling like it, such a positive and incredible sensation that makes even the most miserable of hearts joyous and vibrant. Who am I…" he frowned thoughtfully, his gaze growing distant as though he were a million miles away, seeming to talk more to himself than to her, "_What am I_, to tell you to give it up? _Life…immortality_…_Tea_, is worthless without feeling. _Never forget that_."

Tea stood completely frozen to her spot, with wide eyes. She had no idea what he was rambling about, but the difference in his eyes was beginning to scare her. They seemed to be growing darker, which as she remembered from the last time, was a rather bad sign. She wanted nothing more than to flee from him and run back to the safety of Yami's arms. _Yami_! Had he even healed yet? Was he even still alive?

"_Go_," his voice was barely a whisper, yet it held a powerful commanding tone that alarmed all her instinctive senses. "_Leave now before my other halves awaken_!"

She found her body moving on its own, without her mind properly registering its actions, making its way hastily passed him, before he reached out and grabbed her wrist in a motion so fast it seemed like black blur swooping down at her. He held her stationary for a second, seeming to be fighting for control over himself before grabbing hold of her gaze, giving her a serious look, "_No, not that way_."

She frowned questioningly at him, before gasping in shock as he made his way forward, dragging her along with him with a determined look in his eyes. "Hey! What are you-?" she squeaked in protest, trying to yank her arm free.

"Another pursues you within the shadows, _human_." He continued to drag her along, walking far too fast for her human legs to follow correctly in step, yet his grasp on her was too tight for her to break away from, and his nails dug painfully into her skin. "_I'll escort you to safety_."

Briefly ignoring the pain she glanced up at him in surprise. "W-why?"

"As I've said…we are not yet enemies," he answered without looking at her, but tightened his grip, which caused her to wince, as blood slowly began to trail down her arm.

"Ow'ww," she gasped quietly, hissing slightly under her breath.

They had just rounded a corner, when the scent of her blood seemed to hit him, and he immediately stopped in his tracks, his body seeming to harden like a concrete statue. She saw that his jaw had clenched and heard him grind his teeth together slowly, forcing his eyes closed as he strained for control over his predator's instincts, and she felt him reluctantly release her wrist. "I'm sorry…_you're bleeding_, I didn't realise-" he swallowed a breath, "That I had you that tightly." His voice was strained and husky, sounding dry and…_hungry_.

Tea cradled her wounded wrist, which wasn't all that bad, just a little scratched and bruised, with a few droplets of blood leaking out…but then again to a vampire, those droplets were enough to send them right over the edge. She had never been more afraid of him, realizing just how bad this situation was.

He lowered his gaze to her arm, and Tea watched in horror as she saw them darkening with lust and hunger, seeming to zone in to the reddened gore like a hawk eyeing its prey. His tongue slipped out his mouth like a snake and darted over his top lip, never removing his gaze from what he hungered for. "I have never caught such a scent before…your blood is…_different_." He choked slightly on his words in the same way a hesitant, person in pain would. He thrust his head to the side, forcing his gaze away and shut his eyelids together tightly, visibly trembling in anticipation. "I-I must leave...take care of yourself _human_…life…_fragile_." He made a choking sound, which sounded terrifying, and before she could blink he was nothing more than a black blur that disappeared into the night, leaving behind nothing more than an eerily cold breeze that blew aside some discarded trash that littered the pavement.

She felt frightened tears burn in the corners of her eyes as her heart rate thumped loudly against her chest. It was too much! Everything was just too much! She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as fear began to take its toll on her body. What had Ryou's words meant? Everything he had said _and done,_ confused her, yet a part of her subconscious seemed to latch onto some understanding of it, but annoyingly kept it out of her mind's reach, which was not only frustrating but aggravating as well. She bit her trembling lip, trying to get her thoughts together, when she heard her name being called from her right.

"Tea!"

_It was Yugi's voice._

She felt a wave of relief wash over her, and turned to see Yugi rush towards her in a black blur, stopping just short of where she stood. His scarlet eyes were trained in the direction of where Bakura had hurried off and she noticed that his fangs were drawn slightly at the corners of his mouth. "Get behind me, _Bakura's_ somewhere close by and I smell blood," he commanded, his eyes still searching for a threat.

Tea choked on a sob and coughed, as she wiped away a tear that had been slowly making its way out of the corner of her eye. "It's my b-blood Yugi," she whispered softly, as she stepped closer towards him, feeling the events of the day weigh her down on each step as though gravity was increasing on her. "He's gone…he just…he's gone now."

Yugi gasped and stared wide-eyed at her, immediately taking a step back and holding up a halting hand to stop her. "Don't!" he commanded, before cocking his head slightly as though he had heard something, and quickly glanced around. "I need to get you out of here."

She began to nod her head in understanding, when she suddenly realized that Yugi had come alone. "Yugi, where's Yami?" she asked tiredly, her eyes and cheeks burning from her teary assault, feeling as though something was terribly wrong, in the form of a sixth sense whispered to her instincts.

He turned away from her slightly and frowned, his body seeming to tense in the same way as Ryou's had. "He's…I'm sorry Tea, I couldn't…" he breathed in deeply, briefly meeting her eyes before lowering them.

She felt something clench around her heart tightly and allowed sob to escape her, as she lost the feeling in her legs and collapsed to her knees, "No!" she cried out heartbreakingly, covering her face with both her hands.

Yugi dashed over to her, quickly catching hold of her around the waist and lowered her to the ground gently, as she thrashed weakly against his hold. "No! No! No! Nooo!" she sobbed, punching at his chest as hard as she could, though inwardly she knew it didn't faze him.

"Shush, Tea please, you need to calm down," Yugi commanded desperately, seeming to struggle against something, as he tried to comfortingly stroke her back, which was a little too harshly for a soothing motion. "Bakura's in the area, and if he catches scent of your blood…" he frowned slightly, and lowered his head down to her shoulder taking a sniff of some foreign scent that made his eyes widen in shock. "What the hell? Did he do this to you?"

She didn't hear him, her thoughts centred entirely on her fallen lover. "You told me that he would be okay, I trusted you!" she whimpered and sobbed as her heart throbbed painfully, slowly shattering back into the thousand little pieces that it had once been, before Yami had mended them back together.

Yugi shook his head, before yanking Tea back up into his arms and lifted her off the ground, his eyes scouting out the area cautiously, before lurching forward in a black blurry cloud of inhuman speed. Tea held onto him tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck, as she allowed her tears to flow freely, all the while regretting ever leaving Yami's side.

Within a minute, they were in the museum's open parking lot next to Yami's shiny black Ferrari, and as gently as he could, he placed her down on her feet, while still holding her waist supportively, fumbling in his pocket for the keys. Tea wanted to shove herself away from him and run back down to the docks where she had last seen Yami, not wanting to accept that he was dead, and especially not get into his car, which still had a trace of his intoxicating scent, _and drive away from him_…but before she knew it, Yugi had her strapped down in the passenger seat and was already backing up the car.

"No! I don't want to leave him there like that!" she cried, jolting her body forward in her seat. "Yugi turn back!"

As they pulled out of the parking complex a large white van, with the museum's logo plastered on its sides, drove past them at a casually slow pace, flashing its headlights in greeting as Yugi sped past it.

"Not while Bakura is out and about, we're not; _we're going straight to your apartment_. By the way, care to tell me exactly what the hell happened between you two earlier? I know he's the reason behind those…" he swallowed deeply and played with his tongue a bit, seeming to compose himself, before continuing, "_Claw marks_ on your arm. Did he try to bite you?"

Tea stared at him incredulously with wide, tearing eyes, "Forget about him Yugi! Yami's…" She thrust her gaze away from his as more tears flowed from her eyes. This wasn't happening! This really couldn't be happening! Not Yami, anyone else, but not Yami. It all had to be a dream, a really sick and horrifying dream that she would soon wake up from, and find herself back in Yami's arms, all safe and care-free again.

Yugi ignored her and continued to swerve expertly around sharp curves and sped down semi-deserted streets, passing by several abandoned warehouses with broken windows and rusted roofs; _Gangster territory_. "What a shitty little neighbourhood," he commented dryly as they sped past an equally dodgy building that looked like it could collapse at any second.

Tea couldn't believe how casual his words were; almost as though he didn't even care that his brother's body was laying abandoned back at the Domino Docks, like a discarded piece of trash. Didn't Yugi feel anything?

"Yugi, what the hell is wrong with you? What the hell is going on? _For fuck's sakes answer me_!" she screamed, her voice tight with frustration, anger and above all, _hurt_. He winced at the shrillness of her voice, but continued to ignore her, seeming to have his mind on other things.

She continued to cry quietly to herself, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, trying to crawl into herself and wake up from her obvious nightmare. Yugi glanced at her in concern and slowed the vehicle down slightly, deciding that the last thing she needed to go through was an accident on top of everything else that had happened.

She remained silent and mourned for her loss the entire drive to her apartment, and didn't even glance at Yugi as he brought the car to a halt, and leant back against his seat, sighing loudly. "You know…" he started softly, breaking the silence between them. "Egypt was pretty wild with all the wars between the different clans and shit, _but Ra-damn,_ tonight's giving me a run for my money. I can't ever remember being this worn out." He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose, waiting patiently for her response, which he already knew he wasn't going to get.

She continued to ignore him, and stared at her lap with a lost look in her eyes that were washed out with pain and tragedy, hardly even aware of where she was.

"Can you walk?" he asked her gently, concern evident in his voice, but had no affect on her as she continued to give him the silent treatment.

"Look Tea-"

"What happened…" she sobbed quietly, fresh tears once again making an appearance. She clutched her hands together as they trembled uncontrollably in her lap, and felt her whole world swirl around her in a morbid dance.

"_To Yami_? He was shot in the chest by some bastard with a gun-" Yugi tried to answer, but his calm and casual way of voicing it, came across to Tea as _uncaring_.

She whirled around and slapped him so hard that her hand stung in protest, and glared at him with fire-blazing blue eyes that were filled with so much hurt and anger that Yugi felt himself automatically freeze beneath her gaze. "He was your twin brother!" she spat, through partly clenched teeth, "How can you talk about him like that, like he didn't mean anything to you?" Tears were flooding from her eyes now, uncontrollably and she gave one final sob before she leapt out the car and slammed the door behind her, dashing toward the front doors, somewhat clumsily as her muscles tiredly gave out.

She had no idea that Yugi was behind her, and was surprised when she felt his arms catch hold of her before she hit the ground. "Let go of me! Let go!" she sobbed bitterly, thrashing about pathetically as he lifted her up into his arms yet again and hugged her. He felt her body become still, before she mimicked the action, squeezing her arms around him tightly, before sobbing into his neck.

"Tea, you can stop crying now," he whispered as he carried her up the steps.

"Damn it Yugi, I'm upset okay! I just lost the only guy I have ever loved, so just shut up and let me cry!" she growled through her sobs.

"Lost?" Yugi asked sounding confused.

"His dead!" she cried out in frustration.

He stopped walking and held her gaze steadily, allowing a small grin to creep onto his lips. Her expression quickly changed to horror and she growled in disgust, utterly shocked that he would find any of what she'd said amusing. "Arg! You're-"

He tightened his hold on her and shook his head, sobering up his expression slightly, but his smile still remained. "Is that what you've been crying about this whole time? I thought it was just the after-effects of a very stressful day." He continued walking up the steps, while she stared up at him absolutely flabbergasted.

"Of course I'm crying over Yami, I loved him!"

Yugi rolled his eyes, "I know, but you don't need to cry over him-"

"How can you be so insensitive? I'm crying over him because I miss him, and because I'll never see him again!"

"Sure you will, Yami's fine," he said lowly as he reached the end of the long flight of stairs, and gently placed her back on her feet.

She gasped and looked him in the eye, wondering if she heard right. "W-what did you just say?"

He leant up against the railing with a smug look on his face, and folded his arms over his chest. "I said he's fine, he's still alive, not dead, so there's no need to get emotional about it."

She froze on the spot, not quite understanding what Yugi had meant, till his words began to sink in. She gasped; feeling a sense of relief, excitement, absolute joy, confusion and also anger, all boil down in an explosive emotional bomb, which unfortunately Yugi was in the line of fire of. She jumped into Yugi and threw her arms around his neck and squeezing him happily, before realizing how angry she was at him, and shoved him backwards, which he playfully allowed and purposely fell to the ground, looking up at her with an unsurprised and almost playful gaze, as she glared down at him venomously with her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "Yugi, you son of a bitch!"

He held up his hands in surrender, "Calm down, I can explain!"

"You better explain! I thought that he was dead Yugi! Do you know how I felt? Do you know how much it hurt! How could you do that to me?" she felt angry and relieved tears flow from her eyes, and strangely felt like laughing.

Yugi got up and brushed himself off, before adjusting his collar and flashed her, a tiny smile as she continued to wipe her tears away with both her hands, both sobbing and laughing under her breath. "I'll explain why later, but right now, let's go inside and order a pizza or something."

Tea removed her hands and stared at him with a small smile, far too happy that Yami was actually alive to stay mad at him. She nodded her head softly and allowed him to guide her to her apartment, suddenly feeling really light and numb with shock. "He's really alive?" she whispered softly.

"Yes, and safe. I promised him I'd take care of you in his place tonight," Yugi answered her back, taking her around the waist and guiding her to her door. "You're in shock, usually I'd recommend a dose of rum or tequila, but perhaps for now, we'll just settle on a glass of sugar-water, and I think some Pizza will go down way better than Chinese, don't you agree?"

Tea giggled hysterically, leaning more of her weight against Yugi as her body became even more, numb with exhaustion. "Vampires eat take-out?" she mused dryly.

Yugi grinned, "_Well in a sense_."

"Is he okay though?" she asked in an exhausted and whispery voice.

"Well…that's kind of what we need to talk about - _but don't worry_," he added immediately when she shot him a worried look, "He's pretty much, intact. Look just relax okay, you've been through a lot today and it's not good for your health…you are still human after all. And once you've calmed down a bit, I'll explain the new arrangements to you, okay? Have we got a deal?"

Tea nodded her head tiredly with a small, nervous smile, believing she could trust Yugi. Yami was alive and that was all that mattered, and sooner or later she was going to find herself back in his arms again; that she could most definitely count on, no matter what…

* * *

- -(_Awww cute_!) - -

* * *

The driver of the white van gave a low grunt as he pulled the oversized vehicle to a halt right outside the silvered-door back entrance, and flopped back against his seat as the twelve-hour drive took its toll on him. His co-driver finished munching on his burger, and nodded for what ever particular reason he had, before clambering his way out the van, humming an unrecognisable tune, which had grated on his partner's every nerve.

Growling lowly under his breath, the driver got out the van and stretched his old tired muscles out before marching to the back of the vehicle and slid open its back doors, taking one look at the huge, bulky and heavy looking packages, before growling in annoyance again. He was getting too old for this job.

"Good evening Gerald," a rich, warm-coated feminine voice spoke out from behind him, as the museum's curator came out to greet him.

He turned around tiredly and nodded a greeting in her direction. "Evening Ma'am, nice weather for once," he muttered dryly, reminded of his last memory, of delivering artefacts, all the way from New York, during a thunder storm in which he, as a result of, suffered a week long of Bronchitis soon after.

The curator laughed softly, "Ah yes indeed. How have you been since then?" Her attempt at small talk almost made him scoff, but he politely swallowed his vulgar comment and responded as cheerfully as his sullen and grim personality allowed.

"I've been well," he responded simply, as he reached into the back and pulled out a square box first, which was probably the lightest of the load.

"Good, good…ah," she exclaimed excitedly, as she gently took the box from his hands, her blue eyes sparkling with awe and wonder, as though she could see the item within it, through the cardboard. "I have awaited this remarkable gift from Egypt for a while now."

Gerald grunted a response and continued on with unloading the van, by unhooking the restraints that held the boxes stationary, eyeing the large coffin-sized one particularly with resentment. At the same time his co-driver, Phil, pushed a wheeled cart over to the back and positioned it precisely where it needed to be, wearing a stoned expression that made him look dumber than usual.

"Phil I'm going to shove it out, make sure its steady on your side," he commanded, eyeing his shaggy-blonde haired co-worker suspiciously, as he slowly pushed the edge of the large box out, which was way heavier than normal for its size and shape, _like deadweight_.

Phil gave him a, thumbs up and a goofy grin as he took the sides firmly with both his hands, waiting for Gerald to shove it out further…which he was hesitant to do, since Phil seemed weirdly unbalanced, and one little stumble could result in a very pricy accident. Carefully he slid the box down to Phil's waiting arms, and manoeuvred it in a way that it slid onto the cart easily, though at one heart-stopping moment it looked as though Phil was almost about to drop it, and after a few exchange of curses at one another, the box was safely loaded on the crate and rolled inside the building, closely followed by the curator who watched each movement like a hawk.

She had wanted it to be placed in one of the examination room's, which just so happened to be on the other side of the _bloody_ _museum_, and required both Phil and Gerald's physical strength to lift it onto the examination table, and by the time they had managed it, both were red in the face, _particularly Gerald._ He slapped his hands together and rubbed them, mentally cursing each splinter that had managed to prick through his calloused hands.

"Thank you gentlemen, I'm sure the rest will be much easier to move, though would you mind opening it for me?" the curator requested sweetly, using her womanly charm to con them into more work, _which they were not been paid for_…

"Sure," Gerald responded politely, as he fetched a crowbar from the storeroom, and began pulling the dry-wood apart, doing his best to stifle his negative comments with several grunts and snorts, as the wood fell away piece by piece, revealing what looked like a richly decorated sarcophagus, snugly kept in several rolls of bubble wrap and other supportive structures to ensure that it survived the trip intact.

"Ah, magnificent! Do you know what we have here in our possession gentlemen? This young boy was a lost prince of Ancient Egypt that has only just being found in the Valley of the Kings!" she exclaimed excitedly, but Gerald wasn't listening, and quite frankly didn't really see what was so exciting about finding a dead body of some kid who lived several thousands of years ago. _It was quite sick actually in his opinion_.

"_Humph_…that's very interesting Ma'am, now where do you want us to put the other stuff?" Gerald asked in a neutral tone that border-lined disinterest, whereas Phil, a natural-born womanizer, jumped at the opportunity to impress the rather attractive woman.

"Wow for real? You know, I really find this kind of stuff interesting, I mean I'm still warped around Tutankhamen's mysterious death and things like that, you know? What do you think happened to this poor guy?"

"Well according to the ancient records we found, he was struck by lightning!" she answered eagerly, her eyes taking on a new shade of blue as she went on passionately about one of her favourite subjects that she loved to talk about…_Ancient Egyptian History_.

"Whoa, for real? That is so intense; you know I had a buddy once that was out-"

"Phil, we need to get the rest of those crates in before midnight, so let's get moving," Gerald interrupted impatiently, growing rather irritated with conversation that was leading nowhere for either of them.

"Yeah sure Jerry, just let me-"

"No, now!" Gerald commanded before shoving his way out the door, practically dragging his partner with him, leaving the curator alone with the sarcophagus, who smiled down at it fondly as she ran a finger along its side, harshly ripping off the plastic as she did so. It was one of the most beautiful sarcophagus's she had ever seen, with such intimate detail warped with solid gold and gem stones, as well as hieroglyphic engravings that gave a clearer picture of the man who had been placed within the coffin…_or so she thought_.

"Apparently you were a handsome man too," she whispered to the sarcophagus, with a small grin. "Too bad you're dead; we may have made a really cute couple." She chuckled softly as made her way over to the other side of the room, gathering several tools that she planned to use for her examination operation, when she thought she heard a soft thud. She turned around and glanced around the room, expecting to see either Phil or Gerald, but neither of them appeared. She shrugged, figuring it was just a figment of her imagination, when she heard another odd sound that she couldn't exactly place.

This time she made her way to the door and peered out into the hallway, and noticed that both Phil and Gerald were still a long way away unloading the van with the help of one of the museum's staff members. She frowned in their direction, before shaking her head, slightly baffled, and returned to her work, not giving the weird sounds a second thought, as she sat down on her stool, and grabbed hold of an important document, which she had to fill in before morning. Distantly she heard the van's engine start up and fade into the distance, and the sounds of the back entrance been locked up for the night by the night's watchman, who would be leaving any minute for his hour break. Meaning that it was just her and her obsession, _the sarcophagus_, for now, _just the way she liked it_…

She was just about to fill in the opening line of the document, when another thump caught her attention…since it sounded like it was actually coming from within the ancient coffin…

She eyed the object of her affection warily, holding the pen firmly in her right hand, frozen to her seat as her imagination began to run wildly over several possibilities, for the noise's cause. Grinning amusedly to herself, she chuckled lowly under her breath, playfully joking to herself that the mummy had come back to life. "Are you coming back to life in there my Prince?" she chuckled, as she turned back to face her work…_never expecting what took place next_.

The top lid of the sarcophagus exploded open with one simple thrust, and clattered loudly to the ground, startling her right off her stool, as she stared wide eyed at the impeccably handsome figure that was gracefully climbing out of it, and felt her mouth gape open in a silent scream of startled surprise. He flexed his muscles and rolled his shoulders back, before ironing down his silky white shirt with both his hands, neatening up its fabric, not bothering to glance in her direction.

There was something darkly unnatural about him that called out to her instinctive responses of fear, something that defied logic and scientific explanation. He finally glanced sideways at her, seeming to take in her whole appearance with just one brief observation, before continuing to adjust his outfit in a neat fashion, not bothering to grace her with any form of verbal acknowledgement.

She couldn't help but notice his eyes, finding them to be one of the most beautiful pair of crystal blue coloured orbs she had ever seen on a human being, though there was something really dark and unnaturally alluring about them, something that wasn't quite…_human_.

Summing up the courage to speak, she managed to choke a few words out, "W-Who are you?" He straightened his posture and rolled back his broad shoulders yet again, giving her a blank look before staring down at her neck.

"E-Excuse m-me?" she stuttered nervously as she inched away from him, making her way towards the panic button that was just an arm's length away.

"Seto," he responded politely before grapping her forearm and pulling her away from the button she was about to push, effortlessly, as though she weighed absolutely nothing at all, and without warning bit down into her neck. She struggled against him, trying to scream and push him away, but it was like fighting against a solid wall, and he easily overpowered her. She felt her life force slowly slip away as a wave of unnatural black exhaustion overtook her, and soon slumped limply against him with closed eyes. He took several more sips of her blood before pulling away and yanked her body up into his arms, before placing her in the sarcophagus, deciding that was probably the most suitable place for someone that dedicated their lives to digging up and exploiting his _family_ in such horrific and humiliating ways.

He wiped away a faint trail of blood that leaked from the side of his mouth, and growled irritably. He had been confined to such a limited amount of uncomfortable space for over thirty-two hours, without a single meal or ability to move, and his Nintendo had died shortly before he arrived in the country, leaving him with several hours of absolute boredom, while he read the same paperback novel over and over again that someone – _most probably Dendera_ – had placed in there for him, which was a trashy romance novel that he wouldn't be caught dead reading in public…_literally_.

He walked around to where the document lay discarded on the woman's desk and briefed through its contents, picking out the coded information he needed from it, before tearing it apart. He had finally arrived in Domino City and not a moment too soon in his opinion. He'd find his cousins easily, especially Atem, who he knew all too well, _but first he had business to take care of_.

He reached into his sarcophagus, which had been made especially for the occasion, and pulled out a leather- wrapped item. _It was time to find his dearest cousin_…

* * *

**Slowly crawls out into the open with a white flag! Okay! Okay! I'm sorry this chapter sucks! But I'm pretty sure that the next one's going to be better, because, well, it's a surprise. Anyway, I got to out-run you all before you get hold of me and kill me. So see ya and thank's for reading. Love you guys! Mwa Mwa mwaaaaa- holy shit that's a big gun! Ahhhhhh!**

**Oh by the way, did anyone pick up on how extra weird Bakura is? Oh and how many of you slapped your foreheads and went - Oh so that's what she meant when she said Joey had already featured in the story! Oh yeah, I'm supposed to running - bye!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey Guys! I know, yes I know, okay let me finish…yes I know it's been a while…okay I totally – no you can't cut me…no, I need those…okay that's a little scary…mmmhmm? Yeah…alright…Yes, I know I'm sorry…I am I swear…can I just – please **_**put that down**_** – look can I just explain? Thank you!**

**Okay, so it's been…a while. Yes I am aware I suck, and I totally get why nobody's happy with me at the moment, but in my defence collage is not as easy as I thought it would be, plus I had to rewrite this chapter several times, thanks to several changes of mind, a computer malfunction (resulting in me having a mental breakdown as well) which wiped all my hard work clean – then I spent a few days sulking about it – and of course my all time worst enemy, writer's block. FORGIVE ME! **

**On a brighter note for those readers who are still with me, this chapter is going to have several surprising shockers in it, and some mysteries will finally be solved…oh and most importantly you're going to find out how Yami's doing. **

**And of course I'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers (who totally don't want to kill me right?) you guys are still the best ever! And I hope you enjoy what I've got in store for you.**

**Disclaimer: If I did own anything Yu-Gi-Oh, I'd definitely never share Yami or Yugi. _Just saying..._**

**Rating: I'm not even going to comment.**

**AN: Please enjoy! **

**Chapter 17**

The effects of the day were taking a toll on Yugi as he strolled down the steps of the apartment complex and made his way to the open parking lot, where Yami's Ferrari stood handsomely beneath a broken street lamp that had been stoned in the distant past and never repaired. He gazed up at it tiredly, able to see perfectly well without its light as he made his way round to the trunk of the sleek vehicle, opening it lazily as though he were conserving as much of his energy as he could. His eyes fell immediately on the only object it contained, a shiny, silver, portable freezer in which Yami kept his emergency supply of blood bags.

After deliberating for several seconds on how many he should take, Yugi reached in and grabbed three, deciding that he had had just about enough crap that day, to have as much as he liked of a good thing, and slammed the lid shut, before shoving the trunk closed and locking it, all in slow and tired motions that lacked their usual grace. He felt tired and drained and worst of all…worried, which was an emotion too close to human, for his liking.

He made his way back up the grungy looking steps that looked like they had been painted over several times in different shades of paint that were now peeling, and almost didn't want to touch the long door handles that let him in, afraid of what kind of _dirt_ lingered on them, considering, with Tea as the only exception in his mind, on what kind of people lived there.

He looked down at what he was carrying, and decided it was best not to be seen, since he hadn't thought of bringing anything to hide it in, and immediately darted through the complex in a black blur that was too fast to be seen, stopping directly in front of Tea's door, and disappeared behind it before it clicked closed.

He immediately heard the light hissing of the shower still going, as Tea remained exactly where he left her, and if he listened closely enough he could hear the soft sighs of contempt that escaped her every few minutes as the water warmed her, easing the tension she'd developed from her share of the day's stresses. Earlier he had mischievously been tempted to turn on the cold water tap in the kitchen, as an _innocent_ prank, but quickly realized how bad idea it was, a mere second before he found his finger tips lightly brush against the cold tap's, metal head.

Grinning at the temptation of trying it again, he made his way casually towards the kitchen nook and noticed the empty glass of sugar-water that he had forced Tea to sit down and drink before she took her shower in order to help control her shock, which instantly reminded him of his actual duty to her. Although a killjoy, he nodded in respect to the sobering fact, and proceeded to unload his grisly appearing packages upon the countertop, leaving one of them still in his hands, as he forced the idea out of his head. He shook the bag to stir up its contents, before making an air-bubbled space, which left him room to neatly puncture it with his fangs and lesson the risk of spillage, and then sucked up the delightful liquid it contained in several quick noiseless slurps, while the shower's delicate hiss continued to hum in the background.

He had just finished his _meal_, when several rapid thuds on the front door grabbed his attention.

_Pizza's here!_

He looked down at the empty bag in his hands that stubbornly held on to little speckles of blood, some of which was caught in the bag's grooves, as well as its large white, donor label, which was pasted predominantly on the front of it...not something that Yugi could or would want, to explain to an unsuspecting pizza delivery guy that he was moments away from opening the door to. With a small darkly amused chuckled he curled it up and tossed it into a nearby plastic trashcan, before speedily dashing over to the door in a black blur, and grabbed hold of the doorknob. He thought for a second about the appropriateness of answering it _shirtless_, but decided that he didn't care, and immediately thrust the door wide open, nearly giving his guest a heart attack before flashing him a creepy, overly cheerful smile. "Sup my man!"

The delivery boy wasn't older than seventeen, with a blemish free complexion, dark grey eyes and a mop of blonde hair that if brushed out would have reached the end of his neck. He also seemed vaguely familiar, but Yugi wasn't sure from where. He looked Yugi up and down as a light blush burnt on his pale cheeks, before he forced his uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed gaze away. "Uh, yeah, um hi!" he stuttered nervously as he shifted the contents his was carrying around nervously, briefly screening through the order on a notebook that he held in his free hand. "Uh, okay that is one pepperoni pizza, with extra cheese and mushrooms that is light on the garlic, one cola and…one…uh, one _empty_ extra-large styrofoam cup?" he read it again with a frown to ensure that he hadn't read the order wrong, then turned to look at Yugi questioningly.

"I collect them," Yugi explained simply, with a cheerful smile as he handed the guy several dollar bills, who took them somewhat shyly, "Thanks."

"No problem man, uh…_enjoy_," the guy said, without meeting Yugi's eyes and quickly hurried away to deliver the next order, flashing one last backward glance in Yugi's direction before disappearing down the stairs…

Yugi raised an eyebrow, wondering what that had been all about, before shrugging and moving back into the apartment, using his foot to shut the door behind him. _It wasn't like he had ever held any higher expectation of the normality of Domino City's locals, than the swamps of New Orleans voodoo-practicing inhabitants_. He went straight back to the kitchen again, and placed the pizza onto the table, before throwing a quick glance in the bathroom's direction as the shower seemed to have come to an end. He could hear the scuffling of woolly fabric as Tea dried herself off…briefly pausing to _remind_ himself to keep all perverted thoughts of his brother's _girlfriend _- if he had to call her that -at bay.

He moved on to quickly prepare his own meal, by squeezing out the blood from the remaining bags into the huge Styrofoam cup, _that really was, thankfully, extra-large,_ and stuck an equally thick straw that came with it, into it. He had just thrown the empty bags away, when Tea walked out, still drying her hair with a pink fluffy towel.

"Your dinner's arrived," Yugi announced cheerfully, as he took a small sip of his drink, and was delighted when its delicious aroma also touched his taste-buds.

Tea glanced at him first, then at the table, and then back at him and smiled, "Thanks, it smells good too." She looked at the oversized cup in his hand and raised an eyebrow curiously with a tad bit of surprise, "Is that a giant milkshake?"

Yugi smirked and glanced down at it before returning his gaze back to hers, "Not exactly."

Tea continued to dry her hair and stared at him questioningly with a slight frown, "What is it then?"

Anyone else within the vampire category, Yugi realized, would have immediately given her an easily acceptable answer, such as for example…_raspberry juice_, but Yugi wasn't just 'anyone.' He grinned mischievously, before slowly holding it out to her in invitation, "Here, have a taste and see for yourself."

Trustingly, Tea reached out to take it from him, her curiosity greatly distracting her from common sense, but just before her fingertips touched its plastic surface, he pulled it out of reach and rolled his eyes. "No ways, Yami would kill me. Didn't anyone ever teach you, never to accept an open drink from a _vampire_ before?"

Tea gave him a confused look before her eyes widened in horrific understanding, "_Oh_, is that…?"

Yugi grinned evilly and nodded his head, before taking another sip, "Yeah, hope you don't mind, but it'll prevent me from snacking on your neighbours." _And you, _he added mentally.

Tea cringed away as a shudder rippled through her body, and she instinctively closed in on herself as she felt something sick churn in her stomach, but good-naturedly, nodded her head all the same. "Not _at all_…though I wish you had said it was raspberry juice or _something like that_ instead," she responded uncomfortably.

Yugi grinned knowingly, "You would never have believed that."

"Yeah, you're probably right…_but still, _urgh!" Still trembling slightly in disgust, she moved over to her pizza and grabbed a slice, hoping to take her mind off of what Yugi was _drinking_, while he made his way over to the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the couch before leaning back against it.

As she made her way over to join him with pizza in hand, her eyes inadvertently took in his form, automatically running over his bare skin that was tightly wrapped around a very muscular frame…and immediately halted in her step at her sudden registration that Yugi wasn't wearing a shirt, something that hadn't occurred to her before when her thoughts had been scattered in several thousand different places, and without realizing it she continued to stare at him, shamefully _liking_ what she saw… _When dating someone else, it was okay to look, but not touch right_? …Somehow she knew that didn't apply when admiring her boyfriend's brother!

Yugi heard her heartbeat flutter slightly in its rhythm, and noted through his side vision that she was standing perfectly still, a short way away from him, staring at him intently.

"Is something wrong?" he asked without looking at her, as a tight grin played on his lips that he struggled to keep under control.

Tea blushed a deep shade of crimson and automatically tore her gaze away, feeling extremely embarrassed about being caught staring. "Um n-no, sorry, I didn't…I mean, I didn't mean to…Where is your shirt?"

Yugi managed to hold back an amused chuckle, as he flashed Tea a wide grin, "I returned it to its owner. Uh, it's not making you uncomfortable is it?"

Tea automatically looked him over again. He was wearing tight, black leather pants, with a silver studded belt, black biker boots and a thick, studded belt-choker around his neck…a style that complimented his muscular physique very, _very_ nicely, reminding her too much of Yami. She continued to blush and immediately looked away. "No, not at all."

Yugi grinned at her, before turning back to take a sip of his drink, deciding that she'd been through too much that day to mess with her.

"Could you please take your collar off though…?" Tea requested softly, as she took a seat on the couch, refusing to give him anything more than a few quick glances.

He glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow, but she caught the slight look of reluctance in his eyes as he asked her, "Why?"

"It makes you look like a…_please_ take it off?" she pleaded nervously without looking at him.

He looked down into his lap uncomfortably, seeming to be very thoughtful and hesitant as he reached up and slowly began unbuckling it, taking it off with an expression that seemed pained and almost…_frightened_? It was almost as though she had asked him to strip down into his birthday suit, as he held it in his hands and looked it over for a second, before placing it down beside him and continued to sip on his drink as though he needed something to distract himself. It was unlike anything Tea had ever seen in him before…

What Tea didn't know was that collar acted as something much more than just a cool accessory for him.

"Hey? Is that collar special?" she asked gently.

Yugi looked confused for a minute, before figuring out what she meant and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you could say that…got it off a rock band's lead guitarist while they were performing in Rhode Island a few months ago." There was something strange in his tone, but Tea couldn't place her finger on what.

"Oh, were you a fan?" she asked curiously.

"Nah, they were crap, but I loved their style…_and their groupies_," he grinned and winked at her, seeming to go back to his old self, much to her relief. She smiled back at him, before her eyes trailed down his bare neck, and by chance took note of an odd black mark on the back of it. On closer inspection she saw that it was a small tattoo of a sun.

"That's a strange tattoo for a vampire," Tea accidentally voiced aloud, and was a little alarmed when she saw Yugi's whole body tense, but he relaxed it almost just as quickly, making her wonder if she had just imagined it.

He turned his whole body around and rested his elbow on the couch, smirking mischievously at her with dangerous, fiery eyes that were highly amused. "Are you checking me out from behind Miss Gardner?"

Tea felt her face flame with embarrassment, "No I was just, I was just…Oh leave me alone!" She chuckled uncomfortably as she hit him with a nearby pillow, before slumping back into the couch and breathed in deeply to calm her nerves, feeling the weight of the day pull her down into exhaustion. She immediately began to wonder about Yami, and what he was doing right now wherever he was, but most of all worried if he was okay.

"You can look if you like, _I don't mind_," Yugi teased her, with an amused grin, "Notice anything different from a normal human's?"

At first she wanted to ignore his invitation and move straight on to finding out about Yami, but curiosity got the better of her and she _once again_ - against better judgement - found herself observing him more closely, though this time he positioned himself in a way that gave her a better view of him…_a much better view of him_. There was definitely something about him that was different and somewhat strange, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what, which was almost as though her eyes were seeing it clearly, but her mind was refusing to acknowledge it. Frowning she shook her head, "Okay, you've got me…I can see it, but can't, if that makes sense?"

"I guess in a weird way it does," Yugi grinned, before returning to the topic. "I've got more muscles than a human being - look," he stretched his arm out and she immediately understood what he was trying to tell her, which became more and more obvious when she knew what to look for. There were more bulges of individual muscle sets on his body in places which were flat on a human's, though they blended in well, and unless someone really took note and made comparisons, they'd never know the biological difference. "The benefits of being born a vampire," Yugi muttered in a sarcastic tone. "Yami's got the same muscle structure as I do, but they'll only really be visible like mine _if_ he transforms. Next time you lovebirds '_get together_' just feel around for them, and you'll see what I'm talking about."

Tea blushed shyly and brought the pillow she used to assault him with into her lap and sat cross-legged, deciding to change the topic quickly, "Don't you want to sit on the couch? It's much more comfortable."

Yugi shook his head, "Nah, comfort's overrated, and this _pose_ makes me look way cooler." He had one leg arched up and another lying flat on the ground, with his elbow resting on his raised leg's knee, and was lying back against the couch lazily. He didn't look like he had a care in the world.

Tea grinned and shook her head, mouthing 'whatever' before turning serious. "Okay Yugi…I need answers _now_."

Yugi was taking a long sip of his blood at the time, and she literally felt him roll his eyes, more than see it. "Let's see…_yes_, _no_…_to get to the other side_-"

"Stop copying Twilight!" Tea growled as she hit him over the head, lightly with the pillow. "_Though_…I am surprised you remember that part, for someone that hated every minute of watching it," she admitted a little suspiciously, though impressed.

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and took another sip of his drink.

With a roll of her eyes, Tea shook her head, and went back on to something more important than figuring out how guys' minds worked. "You promised though," she reminded him, and folded her arms across the pillow that, "So tell me where Yami is?"

Yugi sighed and stopped drinking, before resting his head back and stared up at the ceiling. "I can't tell you Tea."

Tea narrowed her eyes and growled, "Why not?"

He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Because the less you know, the safer you _and Yami_ are. Until he's fully recovered and can once again defend himself against 'bigger' threats, _say_ the _new vampires_ that seem to be crawling into town lately, Yami's location needs to be an absolute secret, and in case you are somehow used to obtain that information in some way, it's best you know next to nothing." Yugi reasoned with her gently in a neutral tone. "I don't want to frighten you…but our kind can detect when a human lies by listening to their heartbeat and we can also hear conversations very clearly from a long way away if we concentrate hard enough. I'm not saying you'll tell anyone, but you'd be surprised by the kinds of clues you can giveaway by just saying one or two things innocently."

Suddenly Tea saw and understood his point, and although she didn't like it, she grudgingly nodded her head and just accepted it, but her expression was that of defeat and most of all worry. She knew that Yami wasn't exactly human, but she couldn't help but be worried if he was in a safe enough place, with proper medical care facilities at hand. The last image she had of him was him lying in a gory, bloody mess, in so much pain and dying…and could not even comprehend how he could still be alive without having gone to a hospital first.

Yugi saw her expression and softened his, "But I can tell you that I know for a fact that he's safe… I safeguarded it myself after all, and it's the perfect environment for him to recover in as well. He may be M-I-A for a few days, but Yami's a fast healer, always has been, and the moment he's a little stronger, I promise I'll take you to him."

"Wait? A few days!" Tea's eyes widened in shock, "Why will it take that long? Aren't you guys supposed to heal like super fast?"

Yugi shook his head, crushing all her hopes, "Not from that kind of an injury, no. It's not like the movies Tea, even if I'm wounded in the chest and survive it, it'll take me a while to fully recover, and I'm a fully fledged vampire. Yami's progress at the moment is actually _remarkable _if nota miracle."

"Wait a second…you told me that he was going to be okay earlier today when I asked you, now you're making it sound like we almost lost him!" Tea questioned him suspiciously, to which Yugi suddenly tensed in guilty response to.

"Uh…well, um…Hey, look let's focus on the fact that he is alive and move on to more important matters-"

"I think that what I'm asking is very important Yugi!" Tea growled.

"Yeah, well what I'm about to ask is more important," Yugi claimed boldly, and flinched back slightly as he saw her enraged expression.

"Nothing is more important than knowing if Yami was hurt badly enough that he could have died today Yugi! Was he going to die today Yugi?"

Yugi held up his hands in surrender from a cowered-back position as Tea moved in on him, causing him to shrink further back, "No, Tea…of course he wasn't going to die, I was there the whole time remember, I'd never have let that happened." _Of course there was something that he wasn't saying_, which Tea immediately picked up on, but was either too tired emotionally and physically to press the issue further or quite simply didn't want to know any further than she did already.

Tea stared him down for several long seconds before falling back into her original position on the couch and stared at the floor thoughtfully, clawing her hands into fists at her sides, the pillow long forgotten on her lap. Yugi bounced back upright with his casual laidback expression that came naturally to him, and he took another swig of his blood-drink, before turning his own questions back on her. "What happened between you and Bakura today?"

"Nothing," she answered simply, without looking at him. "He was guiding me out the alley, because he said someone was coming after me…guess he was protecting-" Tea's eyes widened immediately; "_He was protecting me from someone_."

Yugi on the other hand didn't buy it. "_Yeah right_, I don't believe that for a second. He was playing with you Tea, its how our kind operates. There's no way in hell he'd give a damn if some prick was out to get you, he just wants you to think that so you'll trust him."

"But think about it Yugi, when he realised I was bleeding he took off because he was losing control over himself, why do that if he wanted to hurt me?" Tea argued.

Yugi sighed, "It's called _working an angle_ Tea, he wants to get to Yami, but he knows Yami isn't stupid enough to trust or let him anywhere near him, so the only other way would be to manipulate his human _blood_- uh-" he faked a cough and fought back a wild grin, before continuing, "_Girlfriend_, by getting you to trust him and make you think that he's one of the good guys. I mean it's not like Yami could be any more obvious about caring so much for you, he may as well get it tattooed on his forehead."

"Yeah but – whoa, _wait_…" Tea paused in her argument as Yugi's last words played on her mind, and a tiny blush crept to her cheeks, "Yami…_cares a lot for me_? Really?" Although it should have being plainly obvious that he did, since he took a bullet to the chest for her and almost died to save her life…it became even more real to her, when an outsider pointed it out.

Yugi gave her a look that practically said, '_you're kidding me right_?' before rolling his eyes. "I am so, never, falling in love!" he grumbled in annoyance, and Tea stuck out her tongue at him, before a curious thought occurred to her…"Yugi, can I ask you something?"

"Depends on if I can answer it," he glanced back at her expectantly.

"Is there something wrong with my blood?" she asked softly, not sure if she was asking the right question.

He raised an eyebrow, _but didn't look surprised_, "What?"

"It's just something that Ryou said earlier…something about it not smelling right," she briefly met his eyes before sheepishly turning them away, feeling embarrassed about asking him this for some reason that she had no way of understanding.

For a long while Yugi didn't answer, and eventually Tea grew very concerned. "What? Does it mean something? Is there something wrong with me?"

Yugi hid his thoughts well with a carefully masked expression and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess it just means that your blood smells different, _duh,_ every human's does…Bakura's an idiot."

Tea rolled her eyes, slightly relieved and found herself lying back against the couch, feeling Yugi's eyes on her. She turned and saw him watching her, seeming thoughtful about something, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Yugi realized that she was once again stressed, and decided to rather leave what he was really thinking about for another time and place, and instead move on to a much lighter topic, which he hoped would calm her down a little more. He grinned and rested his head on a closed fist. "Yami hasn't told you about our first drinking experience, has he?"

Tea, intrigued, shook her head, with a curious smile.

He smiled, "I forced him into that you know? Living on the wild side, doing things that were improper and dangerous…guess you could say that I was _bad influence_ on him, getting him to do things that he would never have done on his own…_and I did it on purpose too_."

Tea raised an eyebrow, "You wanted him to get into trouble?"

Yugi grinned without humour and twirled his cup around, staring at it intently without really seeing it, "One should always govern himself Tea…being under someone else's control has very dangerous consequences."

Tea frowned and stared at him with a confused expression, not understanding what Yugi had meant, but the vampire soon manoeuvred his train of thought, seeming to immediately switch into his old mischievous self in the blink of an eye, which if she had thought about it more at the time, would have immediately picked up on a vital warning sign. He raised his body off the floor and sat beside her on the couch with a conspirator's look of glee. "Want to know what my brother's like after downing a whole bottle of Russian vodka?"

(_A few minutes later_)

Tea almost couldn't breathe from laughing so much and had to wipe away several stray tears that had formed in her eyes, as Yugi ended the story with a bowing gesture. He had been careful enough to skip the details involving Dendera seducing Yami, but he had mentioned his part about being knocked out by Seto, which she found particularly funny. "And then _my dear_, the morning after, when both Yami and I _thought_ we were both dying of chronic brain cancer, _our dearest cousin_, as a severe form of punishment, forced us to do push-ups for three solid hours, and we had to do three thousand of them within each passing hour, or suffer a penalty round, while reciting the tomb's laws…_evil miserable bastard_. However, I still got a kick at seeing Yami, still high from the painkilling remedy he was given, on top of being hangover, trying to do a push-up while feeling as though the ground was crawling away from him…Ra that was a damn classic."

Tea laughed again, still trying to get the image of the crocodile scene out of her mind, only to be bombarded with the even funnier image of Yami being high and grasping onto the floor to prevent it from 'escaping' him. She eventually got herself under control, and smiled cheerfully at Yugi, "That has to be the funniest drunk story I have ever heard."

Yugi took a long sip from his cup and finished it, feeling much more refreshed now than he had in a long while. "Oh? You think that was funny, _wait_; let me tell you about the first time I experimented with shrooms."

Tea's eyes widened, as her mouth gaped open slightly with its corners still turned up into an amused smile, "Yugi…_you didn't_?"

Yugi winked as a mischievous grin formed over his lips. "I got bored one night, and bought it off a guy that worked at this shitty little motel I was staying at, just to see what it would do…_and it didn't disappoint_. To this day I still don't remember all the details, but I do know that for a while, it totally ruled!"

"You got bored?" Tea raised her eyebrow critically, as she pondered over his 'excuse'.

"The TV coughed its last channel and died." Yugi rolled his eyes, ending the discussion on 'why' before she - like so many females had a rather bad habit of doing - performed a psychiatric analysis on him, which would have in the end still boiled down to the fact that he had had too much time on his hands and decided to do something stupid. "So I went looking for something else to do and met up with this guy named Stan in the Laundromat. At first I didn't think it was going to have that much of an effect on me, because as vampires, our systems can tolerate _heavy_ substances like that without too much of a problem, and may just give us a little bit of a buzz for enjoyment. So I did what any – _regular idiot_ – would have done with a, high tolerance ability…_I tripled the dose_."

Tea's eyes widened in horror, "Yugi, isn't that really dangerous, especially if you've never had any before?" There had once been a girl that used to work at the club who had OD'd after doubling a coke-dose, without ever having tried it before. It still remained a fresh reminder in Tea's mind, even though it had been a year ago, of the dangers in using them. Still reminding her freshly of _Chris_…

Yugi narrowed his eyes disappointedly, "_For you_? Maybe, but I would have been extremely embarrassed to be the only vampire in existence that OD'd. So no, it's not dangerous – in a fatal aspect that is – but I can't quite say the same for my _dignity_. It started out with the slow, progressing sensation - that started downward from my mandible, down the back of my neck, then to my shoulders, and pretty much from there everywhere - _of floating_, which was kind of like a numbness that had an on and off light-weight feeling. After that, I started to hallucinate some really weird shit."

"Like what?" Tea asked curiously, with wide blue eyes.

"The uh, _the dryer_…started talking to me," Yugi answered quietly without meeting Tea's eyes.

Tea bit her bottom lip to hold back a grin, "The dryer, huh? Can you remember what it said?"

Yugi grinned more to himself, than to her, before slowly rolling his gaze to hers, and nodded his head thoughtfully. "The dryer was _Catholic_…so it basically got down to asking me to confess my sins to it."

Tea pulled the pillow up to cover her mouth as she choked on a chuckle, whereas Yugi smoothed his mouth over with his right hand, trying to keep his expression straight. "Yeah, _that was weird_. I believe my first words to it, when it started speaking was; 'Fuck me.' _I also remember_…" Yugi paused and grinned with a thoughtful look, as though whatever he was remembering was playing over in his mind like a short comical film. "I think I was trying to shut it up by stuffing the clothes I was wearing, into it…and then I stole a white shirt from someone else's laundry and walked around wearing it on my head like a turban, with nothing else on but boxers and of course my leather choker…randomly telling people I was the _Hoo-Guru_…"

Tea laughed, "The what, Yugi?"

Yugi waved her off with his eyes closed and a baffled frown, "To this day I still have no frikin idea what the hell that was or what I meant by it." He shook his head, "So yeah… I mean, I was so damn stoned that I couldn't even tell if the streetlights were stars or not. Another stoner confronted me about them somewhere along the line that night, and asked me what they were, and the only response I could give him, after carefully_ – meaning I had my head hung back and stared at them for at least ten minutes_ -observing them, was, 'Sorry man, I'm not from this country, I don't know.'"

Both he and Tea burst into a fit of laughter, before Tea wiped away a few rebellious strands of hair out of her eyes, and caught her breath back. "Do I dare ask what else you got up too?"

Yugi scratched the back of his head, and smiled sheepishly, "Uh well, I don't remember much after that…_except_, I remember having a fight with a stop street sign, before pulling it out the ground and riding it down the road like a witch on a broomstick while being chased by a phantom police force, _which I thought were after me_…that is until it clipped on a mailbox or something, and well…I don't think you'd need to be an expert on _male anatomy_ to guess how badly that ended for me. I also remember fleeing the scene, for no apparent reason at all… _Oh,_ and waking up the next morning in a _trailer park,_ next to the scariest looking woman I've ever seen in all my existence…"

What Yugi didn't mention was that he woke up with several healed stab wounds all over his body, and wearing bloody underwear that definitely weren't his, as well as a healed gunshot wound at the back of his head. He also found a brown paper bag nearby that was filled to the top with his hair - that had obviously been shaved off and grew back immediately over night – and that the woman he had woken up next too, was drained of blood and dead. And as with the case of drinking Tea's spiked drink, Yugi had absolutely no recollection of what had happened, nor did he ever find the gun or knife that had been used on him.

Tea shook her head incredulously, "Yugi, please tell me that after that, you never did drugs ever again!"

Yugi sighed and shook his head in mocked defeat, "Tea…the day you wake up in a trailer park without any memory of how you got there, next to an unknown _transvestite_…_it changes you_."

Both he and Tea began to laugh, before eventually they found themselves breathless and somewhat tired. Tea, growing more comfortable of his presence, found herself nestling into him and resting her head on his bare shoulder. "Thanks…both of your stories, cheered me up a lot, and I really needed a good laugh after today. You sound like you've travelled a lot though."

Yugi found her closeness quite surprising, but reminded himself that Tea had yet to differentiate the real difference between him and a normal human being – and also had yet to truly get a glimpse _of his kind_ to be all that wary of him, realizing with a start how quickly, things would soon change. However, he brushed off the invading thought and decided to savour the moment rather than ruin it, and went on to answer her question instead. "Yeah I've been around, what about you?"

Tea sighed an 'hm'imm,' before breathing in and out deeply, "I've never seen passed Domino City's borders…but there is one place that I've always wanted to see."

"Oh really, and where would that be?" Yugi asked her with genuine curiosity.

Tea blushed and smiled shyly, "Um…New York? It's kind of like my dream…"

"The Big Apple? Nice choice…you know, it's not really that far from here."

Tea nodded and smiled sadly, "I know…but I just never got the chance. Someday though, I will…"

Yugi looked down at her knowingly, "Why do I feel that there is more to this dream that is not being said?"

Tea laughed nervously, "Nah, I don't want to bore you."

Yugi cropped himself up slightly into a more comfortable position, while being careful not to disturb hers, and gave her his full attention, "I'm listening."

She bit her lip, before nervously lowering her gaze from his. "I um…wanted to be a principal in a ballet studio up there; it's been my dream career since I took my first ballet class, but um…lately I'm not sure if that's going to happen anymore or if that's even what I really want."

Yugi shot her a surprised look, "Why not?"

Tea shook her head wordlessly, with a shy smile.

Yugi's expression softened. "You should never give up on your dreams Tea…they're precious."

There was something about the way he said it that grabbed Tea's attention to a curious aspect that she had yet to even fully explore with Yami, and voiced the question on her mind, after giving it some thought. "Have you ever had any dreams Yugi?"

This time Tea was sure of it, as she saw the haunted and tormented look that moulded onto his handsome features, before he forced them away. "Yeah…but I had to give them up," he said lowly, before looking away from her.

"Hypocrite!" Tea accused playfully, but lost her smile when she saw how sad Yugi really looked. For some reason he had never seemed the type to ever look sad, or be sad, he just had that kind of personality. "Hey?" she said gently as she reached out and lightly touched his bare arm. "What sort of dreams did you have to give up?"

He gave her a very forced, reassuring smile, before shrugging and shaking his head. "Nothing major that I can't replace with others… Hey, you want to be a ballet dancer? Do you go to that prissy dancing school here?"

"It's not prissy…and well, yeah I'll be going to it soon." She wanted to get him to open up to her more about his dreams, but Yugi seemed to have already closed that discussion.

"That's nice…what other kinds of dancing does the place teach? Any ballroom stuff?"

"Pretty much everything goes over there," she said thoughtfully, "I know that they've just opened a few hip-hop workshops."

Yugi rolled his eyes and stretched, flexing his muscles as he did so, before trying to stifle a yawn. "I remember trying to sign Yami up for a belly-dancing class as a joke… but it didn't go well."

Tea chuckled, "You are so evil!"

He smirked, "You have no idea."

"Yugi?" Tea asked suddenly, to which he responded by looking at her questioningly. "Thanks for saving Yami today…and me too," she added softly, with a small grateful smile, "Even if I gave you hell for it."

Yugi flashed her, a genuine smile, "No problem Tea." He suddenly glanced up at the clock that she had hung up on her wall and realized with a start how late it was. "You should probably get some sleep…it's quite late for a human."

Tea glanced in the clock's direction as well and nodded her head in agreement. "Are you going to be comfortable on the couch?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah I'll be fine."

However, she was slightly alarmed when she saw him get up. "Where are you going?"

"It just occurred to me that my brother's incredibly expensive and prized Ferrari is sitting outside in the open, and no offence, but the neighbourhood has definitely not gained my trust as of yet…and yeah, _Yami and his car_…almost had to use a crowbar just to get him to give me the damn keys. I'm going to go and park it in a safe place quickly, don't worry I'll be right back." He walked over to her front door, and she watched curiously as he brought his thumb to his middle finger's tip, and sliced it open, allowing his blood to pool out in a dark, almost black river. Horrified she watched as he slowly began to use it to draw an Egyptian symbol on her door frame, with particular detail that made it looked almost as though he were using a fine paintbrush.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously with wide horrified eyes.

"Yami took you to the museum today right, to learn about our Egyptian heritage?" Yugi asked, as he added on additional detail.

"Y-Yeah?" she answered carefully.

"This here is the symbol for protection, which came from a break-off tribe of the Ancient Egyptian People that practiced magic, and was apparently wiped out before Cleopatra's reign, they were known as the Shadow People. It's most effective if drawn in vampire's blood … and basically what it does is that, it confuses vampire's sensory if they near the area, so if Bakura - _or as you say, Ryou_ - shows up uninvited, he won't be able to detect your presence at all." He finished the last detail, before turning to look at her, with a serious expression. "So, do not leave the apartment…and since we now have human threats as well, I'm going to advise that you don't open the door, or let any strangers inside either. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere…oh, and don't rub my symbol off either – its harder than it looks to draw it." He joked, before opening the front door. "Switch off all the lights as well."

"Yes your Highness, is there anything else?" Tea joked sarcastically.

Yugi looked thoughtful for a moment, before an amused smirk curled up on his lips. "Yeah actually, by the time I get back I expect to see a fully made up royal couch setting, sprinkled with silky rose petals and tiny complimentary chocolates on the pillow…that'll be all for now."

Tea grinned, "Would his royal Highness prefer to sleep in the dog basket then?"

Yugi gave her a mocked salute of respect, "Plain couch it is then."

With that, he left the apartment and quietly shut the door behind him, leaving Tea all alone in it, which strangely, for the first time in a long while, felt completely safe. She smiled and began walking over to her bedroom, where she kept her spare bedding in her closet, briefly taking note of the empty space where Yugi had been sitting, and noticed that his black leather choker was missing…

* * *

The cold water felt like heavenly relief against his skin as he flung water up from the basin onto his face, rubbing his eyes particularly, which burned painfully. It was the third time that night he had thrown up, and quite frankly…he had had enough of it, as the pain alone was excruciating enough. He looked at his troubled reflexion in the mirror, cringing at his pale, sickly complexion that was lightly flushed, and didn't miss the dark, almost greenish bruising that look like coffee blotches around his eyes.

He moved in slow, jerky motions, careful to avoid moving his shoulders to much as it pulled the muscles in his chest, and made his way back to the bed that he had spent most of his evening on, writhing in pain. Luckily most of his internal injuries had healed by now, meaning that at least he wasn't losing anymore blood…but tissue fragments as well as his breastplate were starting to grow back, and in doing so, interfered with his other healing body functions, resulting in constant friction between them and therefore, ungodly pain, for several long hours. Not to mention the nausea that came with the healing process.

As he lay back, he plucked up the ice-cream dish that sat on the bedside table beside him, and hesitantly placed a spoonful of chocolate ice-cream into his mouth, ambitiously hoping that it would soothe the fire burning within his throat…_which it didn't_. He also had a raging headache that made it hard for him to concentrate on anything that required it, making his recovery not only a painful and long process, but an extremely boring one as well. He continued to spoon ice-cream down his throat, hoping that this time it would stay down, when his thoughts vaguely returned to their same and favourite obsession…_Tea_.

_Ra he worried about her_. If it was not bad enough that she was almost shot earlier, she was in the hands of his psychotic vampire brother that often had a problem with keeping his words filtered _and his hands to himself_, but Yami had no other choice, _but to trust him_...which made him feel even worse, now not knowing if that may have altered his judgement somehow for the worse. There were a lot of what ifs going on through his mind, and before Yami knew it, he had worried himself into such a state that he felt like throwing up all over again. He clutched the sides of his head and calmed his breathing, clenching his teeth tightly together as pain swirled within him, and lightly settled his nerves down…

He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to make sure she was okay; in fact he had to make sure she was okay, before he went insane.

He pictured her walking patiently alongside him earlier that day, listening intently on his lecture of ancient history, and suddenly felt more annoyed with himself for not having being more enthusiastic about it - for not having made it more interesting for her in a way that he knew he could have…little moments like that in life mattered, and his was nearly over without even realising it. However, the smiles, cute nods, and compliments she gave him throughout it all, brought a smile to his own lips, because despite his monotonic attitude, she still loved every second of it. _Tea…_

_He had to tell her, but how? _

There were so many things that they still had to talk about, but this one was the most important, _and Yugi was right_. She couldn't find out by accident from another source, it had to come from him, and somehow he didn't think she'd forgive him for keeping this from her as long as he had, _though in all fairness it wasn't exactly a light subject that could just be brought up_.

Once again the what-ifs plagued his mind, adding to his headache's intensity.

He had just discarded the ice-cream dish to the side, feeling too sick to continue eating it, when he heard the front door open downstairs and shut immediately after with a glassy rattle, and cocked an eyebrow. "_Honey_, I'm home!" Yugi's voice called up annoyingly, as he casually made his way up the modern, glass finished stairs that led up to the second floor. "Damn this place is big, did I mention that earlier? I can hear myself echo! Check! _Echo'oooo_, _echo'oooo_, ha-ha this is so fun!"

Yami sighed and shook his head, before cringing in pain. Yugi had indeed mentioned that earlier - _several times in fact_ … - In fact it was the reason that it was so big that they spotted it in the first place. It was called the Light House, situated on top of a huge cliff that overlooked the ocean, and was completely secluded by a few acres of lush green garden that forcibly kept the nearby mansions at bay. Yugi spotted it immediately from the docks, and thus Yami, without any say in the matter, was carted off and placed in it, before he could even process what was happening, apparently renting it according to the owner, who after '_negotiating_' with _Yugi_, happily wished Yami to get well soon and left him the keys, probably forgetting everything he saw the minute he walked out the door.

It wasn't such a bad place either, with upmarket finishes and design, such as an indoor heated pool and jacuzzi, stylish barroom, with sliding doors that lead out to a wooden-platform patio overlooking the beach, and a TV room that had the biggest flat-screen Yami had ever seen in his life, with a gaming console and collection that even managed to make Yugi envious. Yami knew that there was more to see, but he didn't have the energy nor had the want, to explore any further, as he laid in one of the four bedrooms that he had to choose from, on a bed that smelt the cleanest.

Yugi stuck his head in through the doorway, "Hey, hey bro…how you doing?"

Yami just glared at him wordlessly, which seemed to have the same effect. "Not good huh?" he then walked into the room, carrying his portable cooler, that he kept in the back of his car, with a small grin on his face. "Brought you some medicine, _the best there is_, restocked and ready to drink."

Yami eyed the box as Yugi placed it down beside him, and pulled out one of its bags and a champagne glass. "I thought that since you're living in such a classy place, I'd get you something classy to drink out of, here." Yugi tried to hand Yami the glass, but he seemed reluctant to take it. "Come on Yami, we've gone over this before, if you want to get better, you need to _drink_…"

Yami glared at the glass, forcing himself to refrain from taking it, deciding that he'd rather endure the pain than submit to his instincts, whereas Yugi just rolled his eyes. "Okay…let's try this again, _drink the damn blood_-"

"Or what? You'll force it down my throat?" Yami growled and then cringed in pain, as he accidentally tugged on a muscle surrounding the wounded area on his chest.

Yugi narrowed his eyes with a bored seeming expression, "_Tempting_, and it would be easy too, _with you in this condition_, but I was actually going to say – drink the damn blood and heal faster, so that you _and Tea_ can see each other again."

That got a better reaction out of him, and Yugi smiled smugly as Yami grudgingly allowed defeat and swallowed the glass' contents down in one swift motion. He could already feel an improvement within five minutes, as the pain immediately began to subside, and the nausea almost completely disappeared.

"How's Tea?" he asked immediately with a healthier sounding voice, "Did she kick you out already? That's a whole five hours later than I predicted."

Yugi made an odd sound, and flipped him off, before rolling his eyes, "She's fine; I got her back safely and put a shield on the place, very concerned about you and not very happy about being left out the loop."

"Yeah I can imagine…so she's really okay? Ra I was so worried."

Yugi rolled his eyes again, "She was with me the whole time, what was there to be worried about?"

"There was not a word in that sentence that didn't raise my stress levels to critical," Yami grumbled roughly, as he elbowed his pillow into position, before slumping back against it.

"So how are you finding it here?" Yugi asked, while taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

"I'm bored most of the time, it's too quiet, and like you said, too big…and it's missing something," Yami complained grouchily, while Yugi nodded his head slowly in acknowledgement.

"In other words, you're lonely?" he summed up, quickly adding, "Or just full of shit?"

"You are the most, sorriest excuse for moral support ever Yugi," Yami muttered dryly.

"Good, because you aren't that much better as a patient," Yugi retorted, and then smiled, "But you're still my brother, _so I'll tolerate you_."

Yami snorted and rolled his eyes, before reluctantly grabbing another bag from the cooler, catching sight of Yugi watching him smugly, and growled lowly, "_I'm doing it for Tea_."

Yugi nodded, "I know - I'm smiling about it, because I think I've just found your weakness for future feedings."

Yami shot him a warning glare while taking a long chug of his drink.

"I'm guessing Tea doesn't know yet?" Yugi stated more than asked, as he lay back down on the bed and folded his arms behind his head.

Yami drank the last of the blood, and held the empty glass in his hands, staring at it intently, but without actually seeing it. "_Well_, I didn't exactly get much of an opportunity to," he mumbled under his breath, but even he heard the evident lie in it.

However, surprisingly, Yugi didn't get into it and seemed to just accept his response, which was very unlike him, _and made Yami incredibly suspicious_. "Let's discuss our wannabe assassin, got any, _any_ idea at all, why he'd want to use you for target practice?"

Yami sighed, "Yeah, a lot more than I'd care to know actually, and apparently _you two_ have been acquainted before in the past…he was one of the guys that you beat up at the club, _one of James' goons_."

Realization dawned on Yugi, "_Of course_! Why didn't that ever occur to me before?"

"James did threaten Tea about owning the backstreets, guess he made good on his promise," Yami sighed, now more worried than ever on what the moron would try next.

"Well that's a threat he's going to _live to regret_, for fucks sakes what is he, a scrawny little soiled sock-puppet godfather of the Domino Mafia? This place is already a fucking joke, now we've got a whole bunch of clowns - acting as the Ra damn Adams Family swishing guns around, under the order of the biggest asshole in the world, with an IQ score that could compete with the temperature fluctuation in the South Pole - _after us_! Have I also mentioned, Bakura?"

"And Tea's stalker," Yami added, without thinking.

"Back up, what? _What stalker Yami_?" Yugi asked suddenly alarmed.

Yami opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head, "Do you remember that guy you said was always hanging around her, before her suicide attempt?"

Yugi's eyes widened, as he had actually completely forgotten about both incidents, and slowly nodded, "Yeah, I remember him."

"Well he…_hey_, _wait a second_, how did you know that?" Yami narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his younger twin, and realized something else as well, "And in fact…how did you know where she lived?" It had never occurred to Yami before, but that night Lamia had first showed up, Yugi had rocked up at Tea's house, even though Yami had never mentioned where she lived before. _Yugi had known things about Tea, even before he did_.

Yugi gave Yami a sheepish grin and bobbed his head, seeming to desperately grasp around for explanations, "Uh…the phone book?"

Yami glared at him, "Start talking."

Yugi flinched back from his brother's murderous glare, "You're scary for a wounded and slowly recovering patient…but anyway, for your first question, I often saw him around the club where she worked at, because I was often there myself, _hunting_…"

"Yugi the full story, not the shit-bits," Yami growled threateningly.

"Okay, okay…just don't get pissed off alright?" Yugi sighed, and waited for Yami to give some sign of acknowledgement before he continued. "I got here a week before you did, waiting for you, and often hung out at the club, _hunting for fresh meat so to speak_, and of course I saw Tea regularly – don't worry I never hunted her," Yugi added quickly, as his brother's eyes narrowed dangerously into angry slits. "Just saw her around, don't think she ever saw me though, _but anyway_, long story short, there was this one night that I roped in a girl from that neighbourhood, I think it could have been just a block from hers, but I couldn't wait that long, so I just pulled her into that same alley we were in on '_said-night_' and yeah, _I don't think you want to know the rest_…"

_A look from Yami confirmed it_.

Yugi nodded with a small, put on grin, "So yeah, I looked up and saw Tea on her way home, and just three minutes later saw her '_stalker_' follow close behind, but the way he was doing it was like an amateur spy, ducking and diving around like an idiot so he wouldn't be seen. It had _entertaining_ potential, so I went to check it out, and that's how I found out where she lived. Then after that night, I saw him occasionally around the club in all the dark corners, but didn't really take all that much interest, it was kind of like just taking note of someone you saw around, if you get what I mean…and of course when you started taking an interest in her, I did too, so I went over that way a few times, and every time I did, I noticed that creep lurking around in the shadows."

"And somehow, it never occurred to you that she was being stalked?" Yami growled irritably.

"Well honestly, it only clicked now when I really thought about it…" Yugi answered in a low voice, desperately trying not to provoke his older twin negatively, who still needed to recover from his injuries.

Yami grew thoughtful as he took it all in, not really happy with Yugi, but deciding to let _the past_ go, and instead focussed his concern on another more ominous problem that was slowly starting brew into place. "_Damn it_…when last did you see him?"

Yugi breathed out a sigh of relief soundlessly; glad Yami had let him somewhat off the hook. "Honestly, not since that night in the alley, but I'll admit I haven't really thought about him since or particularly looked out for him."

"_I don't like this_…" Yami muttered irritably as he picked at the bandage around his chest. "Damn it, I've got to get out here, she could be in danger right now!"

"Yami calm down for Ra's sake, you're being ridiculous…_again!_ Sure, I get that you want to protect your girl, but right now, you need to focus on recovering first…unless of course, _you've changed your mind_?"

Yami glared at him, and slightly bared his fangs, "No, I haven't and I certainly never will."

Yugi held up his hands, "Okay, forget Tea for a second, and let's talk about this-"

"Let's not," Yami stopped him using a dangerous, warning tone.

Yugi shook his head, "No, _let's_. Yami, you know what will happen if you don't…and just think how much better you could protect Tea-"

"By becoming a killer?" Yami asked sarcastically with a piercing, venomous glare.

"_We prefer the term vampire_." Yugi's smartass retort nearly earned him a punch right between the eyes, but Yami managed to restrain himself, after reminding himself of how badly injured he still was. "Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but lately there are a lot of new fangs making their way into this area, and Bakura might even be making more for all we know-"

Yami lay back with a growl, "Yeah and let me guess what you're going to say next – if I want to keep her safe, I need to be stronger, _right_? Is that how you do things now Yugi? Are you going to use Tea against me?"

Yugi's gaze turned dangerously serious, without even the slightest trace of amusement. "No, as much as I like her Yami, it's not her safety I'm concerned about, _it's yours_."

Yami whipped his gaze to Yugi sharply, as his younger twin went on, "Bakura is not after her, _he's after you_, and you know that. You know what kind of world we come from Yami, you've lived in it for nineteen years, and now we're on our own. We need to be stronger…_you need to be stronger_. It's either that, or…_we're going to have to start making more_-"

"No!" Yami gasped in horror.

Yugi held up his hands once again to calm his brother down, "Look…you know what I'm saying right? We can't afford to be vulnerable."

"Is that why you turned?" Yami asked him unexpectedly with a cool gaze that was just short of a condemning glare.

Yugi returned his gaze with an even colder one, "Why I turned, Yami…_is none of your damn business_." The temperature in the room suddenly turned icy, and Yami admittedly felt a chill dart up his spine, as Yugi slowly, but gracefully, climbed off the bed, his movements every bit that of a skilled hunter, _soundless and flawless_.

Yami frowned, but said nothing, as he watched Yugi closely.

"I better go back to my _bodyguard_ duties," he said, before turning around to leave, but Yami stopped him abruptly before he could walk away.

"What are you so scared of Yugi?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Yugi turned and stared at him through a small frown, "What do you mean Yami?"

Yami stared at him thoughtfully for a few seconds, "Whenever I've brought it up, there's always been an emotion in your eyes that up until now I haven't been able to place…_fear_. So tell me Yugi, what are you afraid of?"

Yugi glared at Yami, baring his fangs slightly, "Nothing…"

Yami cocked an eyebrow, "Nothing?"

A sly, but still ice-cold look glazed over Yugi's wide ruby eyes, "Tell you what Yami, the day you decide to turn, I'll tell you anything you want to know, _no exceptions_…but until then…" his eyes blinked a dismissal with a cocky smirk spread over his lips. "_Sleep well big brother_, I'll drop by tomorrow night again to see how you're doing." As he turned to leave, Yami stopped him once again.

"What happened to you before I got shot? And don't tell me 'nothing' Yugi, _because you looked sick_."

Yugi bit his bottom lip, without turning to face Yami, before breaking into a small, humourless smile, "What the hell did you expect Yami, _I haven't slept for three days_, or had a decent meal, not to mention my nocturnal schedule is fucked up...so what the hell do you want me to tell you?"

Yami went quiet for a while, seeming to process this over in his mind silently. Yugi listened to the steady beat of his brother's heart, which was comforting in its own way, but didn't give away any clues to his trail of thought. "Fine…" he said at last, but Yugi picked up on the blank space that came after that one word, aware that this discussion had been dropped for now, and saved for another time in the future. "Just _two_ _more things_ before you leave."

Yugi rolled his eyes before turning around, and leaned against the doorframe, his posture slouchy and lazy, "What?"

"Where the hell, is your shirt?" he asked in a slow, but extremely strained voice.

Yugi's lips twitched into an almost-grin. "My shirt?"

"Yes, _pray tell_, why you aren't wearing one, _I'm dying to know_," Yami muttered sarcastically, while still glaring at Yugi's half naked form.

"Because _darling Lamia_ has shredded them all, and yours that I borrowed was soaked with blood," Yugi shrugged, wondering what everyone else's problem was.

Yami's eyes widened in shock, "You mean you've been hanging around Tea this whole time without a shirt on!"

Yugi shrugged again, "Yeah, so?"

Yami glared darkly at Yugi, as he gritted his teeth irritably, "I swear that if I felt half, even a fraction, better, I'd get up and fucking kill you!"

"What's the big deal? You're not jealous are you? I mean for Ra's sake Yami, _you're more ripped than I am_," Yugi rolled his eyes.

Yami blushed lightly at being, partly, _caught out_, before shaking it off firmly. "It's not _that_ you idiot, _you just don't do that_! Where the hell are your fucking manners and the social skills?"

Yugi cocked an eyebrow, "I've been _more_ than shirtless around a lot of girls Yami, _and they all didn't seem to mind_…in fact as I can recall, _they're usually the ones that take it off me_."

Yami growled an exasperated sigh, "I don't give a shit what you do around other girls; I care about what you do around mine!"

"Because you're jealous?" Yugi smirked. "Or, a _little insecure_?"

"No…because…_oh fuck_, Yugi just put on a damn shirt before you go back there, _okay_?" Yami grumbled before reaching over and grabbing another blood bag from the cooler.

"Whatever," Yugi grumbled back. "What's the second thing?"

"Keep Tea in her apartment tomorrow, if James thinks that I'm out of the way I'm sure he'll be on the lookout for her next."

Yugi cringed and shot Yami a comically _tragic_ look, "Oh dear Ra, _again_? Haven't I kept enough females under house arrest for a while?"

Yami actually laughed this time, which broke some of the tension between them, "I'm sure this time will be much easier. By the way, how is Lamia doing?"

Yugi's hand automatically stretched up to the left side of his cheek, "_Um_…I guess she's coping…_in her own way_."

Yami noticed where Yugi's hand was, and cocked an eyebrow in sneaky suspicion, but didn't voice it. Instead, he tore open the pack of blood, meeting Yugi's eyes, before rolling his, as if to say '_piss off_,' and began squeezing out the blood into his glass. "You should have one of these before you go back," he suggested.

Yugi shook his head, "Nah, I had mine back at her place."

Yami paused as he registered Yugi's words…before slowly looking up from his drink. "You drank blood in front her?"

Yugi nodded, not seeing what the big deal about it was.

Yami gaped his mouth open in horror, "_Yugi you fucking idiot_, what the hell is wrong with you? I mean, w-what…_why_? _WHY_?"

"Relax; it was in a styrofoam cup."

"Did she know?"

Yugi nodded his head, "She asked."

Yami slumped back against the pillows that were propped up against his back, with an incredulous expression, "So you just told her, _just like that_? Why didn't you just say it was fucking raspberry juice?"

"Come on, _that's every vampire's excuse_, how much more obvious could I have been? And besides Yami, I'm a vampire, Tea already knows I drink blood, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I have a _fucking moron_ looking after my girlfriend! Yugi, she's a human being for Ra's sake, _a_ _race_ that is not accustomed to drinking blood as easily as they would drink a soda!" Yami stressed, through clenched teeth, before wincing in pain.

"Um Yami I don't know how to tell you this, but have you ever heard of _the_ _Bite Club_?" Yugi asked with an odd, knowing sparkle in his eyes.

"The what?" Yami asked, with a disinterested expression, not really wanting an answer.

"It's an underground organisation that Goth humans make use of to dress up like freaks, indulge in hardcore sex games, and drink each other's blood. I went to one of their events once, it was actually quite pleasant, but they eventually freaked me out."

Yami narrowed his eyes into a squint with his lips parted into a disgusted snarl. Yugi didn't need mind-reading to tell what his brother was thinking, '_why would humans do that_?' But he soon held up his hands as if to say, no more and shook his head. "W-whatever, my point is, just don't do stuff like that around her, _ever_."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Yes _Dad_, whatever you say. Look I better go now, before she starts to get worried, I did say I was going to be right back and oh – _I brought your car back, _it's parked in the indoor carport – Man I love this place! Oh, and here's your keys," he flung the set at Yami, who jerked too quickly to catch it, and immediately felt a sharp stabbing pain in his chest, and gasped hollowly. "Oops, sorry about that." _He wasn't_. "I'll see you tomorrow night again, okay?"

He left before he could hear Yami's whispered threats and curses as he struggled for pain relief, and made his way down the grand corridor towards the glassy stairway, making his way down them soundlessly, taking in his surroundings with awe and fascination, before slipping out the front door into the coolness of the night. He sped forward as an invisible haze, and ended up passing three blocks in less than ten seconds, before casually walking down the street, his senses alert for any signs of danger -

_Thud! _

He fell backwards and landed hard on the tarred road, staring up at an incredibly pale figure that loomed over him with a very unimpressed and _pissed off_ expression. Yugi's mouth gaped open in surprise as his eyes met solid black and angry ones, and almost recoiled beneath them. "_I hate you!_" Lamia hissed, slapping back a long wave of silky white hair with the back of her hand, just lightly brushing past her waxy skinned cheek.

Yugi stared at her for several seconds before recovering, and leapt to his feet in one graceful motion that almost look as though he had levitated upright. "Wow that's something I haven't heard from you before," he spat sarcastically as he brushed himself off, a little unnerved that he had once again failed to sense her approach. "But humour me – _what have I done this time_?"

"I was waiting for you, _for six hours_, and you never showed up! You told me to wait for you, _so I did_, and then you never showed up!" she growled angrily, punching him in the shoulder _hard_ with a motion so quick he had barely seen it, _but he sure as hell felt it_.

"Uh! What the fuck La-"

She punched him again for swearing, then spun around on her heels and stormed off down the road, though her speed was relatively that of a fast-walking human's than a vampire's.

"Lamia!" Yugi growled through clenched teeth, before hurrying to keep up with her, cursing lightly under his breath. "Stop for just a damn second okay! I had _shi_-stuff I had to do, so I'm sorry about leaving you alone in the apartment all by yourself-"

"And not calling to tell me about it!" Lamia added huffily, stopping in her tracks to throw him a murderous glare, before shoving her arms crossed around her chest, and stamping her foot on the crusting tar impatiently.

Yugi bit his tongue and breathed in deeply to compose himself, "_Yeah_…and not calling too, _I'm sorry_. Tomorrow we'll go out again, and I'll teach you how to use your vampire abilities, okay?"

Lamia glared at him, and Yugi could have sworn that he saw her pout as well, "Why can't we tonight?"

Yugi shoved his hands into his leather jacket's pockets, "Because I have somewhere I need to be right now, _we'll do it tomorrow night_."

Lamia narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "Where?"

Yugi inwardly sighed in frustration, "That's none of-"

"You leave me alone in some horrible, dirty apartment and tell me to stay there until you come back, which you were obviously _never going to do_, and then cancel our plans to be somewhere else, and expect me to be cool with it? I did exactly what you told me to, and you can't even tell me why you're blowing me off? _Forget it_!" Lamia huffed and continued storming off down the street like a _vamp_ on a mission, until Yugi stepped into her path.

"Okay, fine. I'm staying over at a girl's place tonight…for reason's which I'll explain to you in due-"

"What? Are you serious?" Lamia yelled angrily, briefly flashing her fangs. "A girl, you're blowing me off for another girl?"

Yugi held up his hands defensively, "Whoa wait, it's not like that! She's-"

Lamia covered her ears childishly, and shook her head violently, "I don't want to hear it, you're a liar! Liar, liar, liar!"

Yugi backed up slightly and raised his eyebrows. _The girl was crazy_. "Lamia, just listen to me damn it!"

"Why should I?" she screamed, using both her hands to shove him back, non-to-gently. "You obviously don't care about me!"

_What was her first clue_? He wondered, before shaking his head and trying to compose himself, remembering that _they _needed Lamia…_for some reason_. "_Lamia_…I'm looking after Yami's girlfriend tonight…_come on_, _even I have standards_. And before you ask why, I can't tell you now, I'll fill you in later…so please, we'll do it tomorrow."

A strange look of calm came over Lamia, as she lowered her shoulders into a more relaxed line and seemed to visibly regain her old 'normal' composure. "Oh…_so you're not feeding tonight_?"

Yugi found her immediate switch of mood quite unnerving, and was caught off guard by her question. There were two types of feeding that vampires did, one was where they simply drank a human's blood to satisfy their hunger, but the one that he suspected Lamia was asking about, was a sexual feeding where they satisfied _both physical needs_. "Um…no."

Lamia cocked an eyebrow at him, as a light, gentle breeze, ruffled her silky, white strands, "_Don't you need to_?"

Yugi gave her a confused look, "What do you mean?"

Lamia rolled her eyes, "Oh please _don't give me that_, you've reeked of sexual frustration since I've met you, and your _mood swings_ and _odd cravings_ are dead giveaways too, _please_, where does a vampire eat sour jellybeans or any of that other human junk that you've got stored away in that shelf. Come on! Ryou used to be a pain too, _when he went through it_…" her voice trailed off as a haunted look formed in her dark eyes, and Yugi would have given anything at that moment to have had Yami's gift, to see what was going on through her head, because what he saw in her eyes, was _a pain_ and _fear_ so raw that he knew whatever it was that she was reliving, _cut deep within her_. "But whatever…Just make sure you don't ditch me again tomorrow you jerk."

"Whoa wait a sec! I'm not-" Yugi tried to defend himself, but she immediately interrupted him.

"Yes Yugi, you are, don't even try to deny it."

"B-but," _damn it_, she was much more observant than he had realized.

She waved him off and continued down the road casually, before stopping suddenly and turned back to him, "_Hey_…are you okay though?"

Sill annoyed that she had busted him with a rather embarrassing secret, Yugi straightened up, and glared at her, "Why the fuck wouldn't I be?"

She immediately narrowed her eyes into a venomous glare, "_You're absolutely right_, why I even bothered to ask, I'll never know!" She instantly dashed away at an incredible speed, wanting to be as far away from him as she possibly could. _He was such a waste of creation_, an arrogant jerk that she had never liked from the start…_but_ that wasn't exactly true, which she always found herself _admitting_ soon after thinking such things about him. There had once been a time where she had had _a totally different opinion of him_…not that he'd ever know that.

She rounded the corner of a dilapidating building and felt all her strength leave her body as she slumped down into a huddled position and buried her face in her arms, allowing the world's darkness to close in around her, and shield her body from sight.

Yugi had watched her form disappear into the night, and sighed tiredly. He didn't like that she was able to notice things about him that he had being able to hide, even from Yami, which made him extremely uncomfortable - _and not_ because it was a powerful skill that could be used against him in terms of finding his weak points of attacks - _but_ because she had the potential to unravel _the only secret_ he couldn't let Yami know about just yet. The bitch _complicated_ things, and he had no idea what to do about it.

Other than that though, she was right about the sexual frustration… Rebecca had been the last girl he'd touched, and for a vampire that was a _very long time ago_. He realised that he may have held the record for his kind in managing to refrain this long from sex, but quickly remembered his cousin Seto, which he still didn't know if he was a virgin or not, _gay_ or _straight_, and decided that perhaps he had come a close second instead. _Yami didn't count_, because his hormones weren't nearly as uncontrollable as a fully fledged vamp's, _and he also didn't count_ because his older twin was just one of those kinds of people that were put on earth to naturally suck – _no pun intended_ – and make everyone else _look really bad_.

Sighing, he turned and started walking in Tea's direction, hoping that she hadn't had a panic attack yet on his unknown whereabouts – _seems as she was quite prone to them_ - and prayed more than anything, that she had already fallen asleep. In his opinion, a sleeping female…_was the best kind of female_.

* * *

His hands ached from being clenched into tight fists for too long, but he had been greatly angered by the sight of the same man he had seen hang, _shamelessly_, around his _daughter_, leave her apartment building _once again_, which was becoming quite a norm for the arrogant little bastard. Tea's father growled in rage, as he watched the prick, casually stroll to his expensive, shiny black car, like he owned the whole damn world, and drove off into the night, like a man _who had got what he came for_…and Tea had obviously given him the whole damn package. "_Fuck that little slut!_"

He slammed his hand flat against the alley wall beside him, and clawed it downward until it reached his side. He gritted his teeth together loudly, breathing in rapid breaths as his blood boiled through his veins. She had been a very, _very naughty girl_ while he'd been away, completely forgetting that her body belonged to him _and him alone_. He made her, and he was the one _with the right to claim her_, not the weird, leather clad prick that thought he could just take her from him. No one took what belonged to him, _no one_!

He stalked off across the road toward the apartment building, and stealthily made his way up the different floor levels, with wild, insane blue eyes, that Tea had inherited from him. Each step brought on a new sense of excitement and sexual agony. _Oh what it would be like her hold her down beneath him again_, to see those startled and pleading eyes, filled with agonizing pain, look up at him while he rammed into her, crying out as he forced his way through her tight space. He sighed, remembering that Tea had always been so unusually tight.

He finally reached her floor, and slowly made his way to the door, gently laying a hand against it, and planting his forehead against its rough wood. He could hear her strutting around and moving things, which sounded _like fabric_, and immediately felt his body tense in rage. _The boy had fucked his possession_! He had to sum up all the will power of the universe to muster enough strength to hold back a punch that he had planned to throw at the door, _reminding himself that it wasn't time ye_t…

He bit his lip that had curled into a delighted smirk, and pulled himself away from the door, hungering lustfully for her body, but refraining himself from taking it _just yet_. He walked backwards towards the next flight of stairs, and threw one more look at his daughter's door, before making his way up to the next floor above her own…_to his own apartment_.

_She had no idea_ that he lived directly above her, or that he had been watching her very closely for a long, long time. At first he had planned to drill in spy holes from his apartment into hers, so that he could keep a better watch on her every movement, but _architectural factors_, which were surprisingly quite advanced for such a dump, made that impossible.

His apartment was relatively the same size as hers, but if anyone had stepped through his door for the first time, they would have immediately recognized it as that of psychopath's. The atmosphere of the room was cold and heavy, with an odd unrecognizable scent that although not putrid or sour, would have made anyone sick to their stomach. Every piece of furniture he owned was carefully and neatly placed, just like everything else in his apartment, which was chillingly clean and well organized, in such a way that one would fear to even move something slightly in case it sent him into a wild frenzy of rage. However, it was the contents on his coffee table and pictures on his walls that gave a clear picture of the type of man who lived here.

There were pictures of Tea everywhere, all without her eyes and mouth, which decorated the full space of the side wall, like one huge, fleshy collage. On the table however, he had a variety of different objects that he had collected in preparation for the final stage of his plan. One was a small flick knife that had an ancient, almost sacrificial charm to its appearance, with the carving of a cobra engraved on its handle. He had seen it in the window of a dodgy pawn shop in Amsterdam during his travels. All his plans had centred on that very knife, for what he planned to be the most memorable reunion his daughter would ever have.

_But first_, he needed to get rid of the little fucker who had dared to place a claim on her. The kid was much scrawnier than he had at first thought, and for some reason _appeared shorter_ as well, but Mr. Gardener didn't care, because size and physique meant nothing _to a dead body_. He ripped his black trench coat off his body and flung it over a hook behind the door, once again irritated about the boy's interest in his _property_, his daughter. He was about to lash out and punch the already dented wall, which had been assaulted many times before, but stopped just in time as an idea occurred to him.

An insane and deeply disturbing smirk, curled onto his lips as a maniac light, lit up his blue eyes. _No_, he wouldn't just kill the boy, as that would be a mercy killing, and Tea wouldn't be _punished_ for her sins against him. No, killing the boy would be easy on them both, and he couldn't allow that…Tea needed to be _reminded_ _who was God in her life_. No, he'd make her _watch him kill the boy_, he'd make her watch him _torture_ and _strip_ the kid to pieces before finally complying with her wish, _and only her wish_, to mercifully _end him_. That would show her who was boss, and it most certainly would show the fucker who had dared to touch his possession, who was _God_ in this world. And after that, he would fuck her…he'd make her scream in unholy pain, for days on end, until he had fully decided on what to do with her..._maybe even kill her_.

_Yes_, Tea would suffer…_just like his sister_.

Thinking about his sibling brought about a sharp and unimaginable pain to his chest, and he buckled down under what seemed to be the weight of the universe. He could still smell the dark blood on his hands, even though it had been scrubbed off twenty years ago. _His darling older sister_, who he had especially named his own daughter after, in her honour, was long dead and buried in a ditch on the family farm, reported missing, but never found. Everyone else suspected that she had run off on a drug escapade with her fucked up loser boyfriend that often looked like he'd crawled out a trash heap and just threw on a leather jacket and shoes. Mr. Gardner however, _knew better_.

'Georgie' was what she used to call him, which was a fond pet name that only she was allowed to use. They were three years apart, but they got on like twins, each knowing the other so well that they often didn't even need words to communicate, which was vital for their survival in the house that they grew up in. Their father was a mad drunk, who came from a long line of alcoholics, and their mother wasn't that much better at holding back her drink either, only she was born without a backbone and wouldn't have stood up against her own shadow if it loomed over her. _She was pathetic and stupid_, which is why when her husband started beating them and raped their daughter, she turned a blind eye and kept downing the bottle of Jack she hid behind the bookcase, letting it happen because it was easier for her that way.

But he never hurt his sister Tea, oh no. Georgie was there for her, whenever she needed him to be, and he was anything she wanted him to be too. A brother for family functions, a best friend to tell all her secrets to when she had to get them out her system, a playmate for all the games she wanted to play…and eventually when he was ten, _a lover and sex partner_…and he fell in love with her.

He ground his teeth together as the painful memories of his past came back to haunt him, and bulldozed his way to the kitchen where he ripped out a bottle of gin, and downed a huge gulp of its fiery substance. "Fuck Tea!" he roared angrily, as tears stung in his eyes. "_Fuck her to hell_!" He hiccupped and took another swig of his drink, before stumbling his way through the house, desperately trying to block the memories of his sister. "I have my _own Tea_ now! _Mine_! All fucking mine! Nobody else's you fucking cocksucking bitch! Mine! Mi-hi-nnne…" he wailed as he slid down the wall that sat opposite to the one with the collage. "Sh-he's mine," he sobbed, covering his eyes with a rigid hand. "She's all fucking mine!"

* * *

Seto turned off the shower and grabbed a white towel from its hook, before wrapping it around his waist and shook the water out his hair with a few swipes of his right hand, as he made his way over to the marble sink, wearing a slightly more relaxed look on his face, but his annoyance was still evident. That had been a very long trip that he was not looking forward to taking again, but knew it was inevitable. He irritably cleared the misted mirror, with one irritable swipe, and stared at the reflection of his glowering face, before wiggling his eyebrows at it, and then grabbed another towel off the hook beside it and started to dry himself off.

He listened in, to all the sounds that were made around him, forcing himself to ignore the Ra awful racket that the freezer made in the kitchen on the far side of the building, as well as his worse technological enemy as of late, _the frikin pool pump_ that sounded like a drunk snoring underwater. A human probably, would never have noticed it, but regardless of how much he lowered his sensory focuses, his sensitive hearing was still much more, sharper than a human's…_and it was driving him crazy_.

He slid into a pair of comfortable black slacks, before rolling his shoulders back, trying to loosen his aching muscles that had been tightly clenched together in the tight and constricted space of the coffin he had travelled in. He rubbed the towel over his hair and made his way through the bathroom door and into the bedroom, which was styled in a way that would have satisfied a spoilt prince, making it hard to believe that it was once a basement.

He had just made it to the edge of the bed, when he heard light footsteps make their way down the stairs and towards his door, in a rushed, but quiet pace. It wasn't too long after that he heard a polite knock at his door.

"Since when do you knock?" he asked in a lazy, unfazed tone, as he continued to dry his hair.

The door jolted open and in walked a young woman, with long elbow-length black hair and a pair of dazzling blue eyes that mimicked his, carrying a silver tray that held a large crystal jar, filled with blood, and an empty wineglass. His candle-lit room, did wonders with bringing out her honey-tanned Egyptian complexion, which seemed to glow darkly beneath it, and her silky white night-robe, also complimented her hour glass figure wonderfully…but the _dangerous_ and _all too familiar angry spark _in her eyes, was the only thing Seto took notice of as she stood tensely in his doorway, hands clawed around the tray's handles.

"Why is the museum's curator in the ICU?" she hissed through clenched teeth, obviously trying to control her voice, and temper.

He simply stared at her, still unfazed as he dried his hair, and shrugged without answering.

She lowered her head with tightly shut eyes and ground her teeth together, now clenching her hands into solid fists, before taking a deep – _supposedly calming_ – breath, and began her '_lecture_' in a very low and calm voice that Seto found to be the equivalent of a cat sharpening its nails on a chalkboard. "_Sire_, if you're going to go around killing people could you please _at least complete the job_? That woman was no ordinary citizen, she is highly respected in her field of work, and an incident like this could really have caused us problems, _particularly you_, if I hadn't gotten to her first, at least now they think that she suffered a mental breakdown and tried to commit suicide, as I was able to wipe most of her memory, _regarding you_, clean…but I won't be able to all the time! My shadow-powers are weak here, so far from home…so please be more considerate next time." She walked over to the small dining setting that she had set up for him earlier that day, and gently placed the tray down on the table.

If any other slave had spoken that way to a _vampire_, they would have been immediately killed on sight, however Seto just rolled his eyes and grunted an incoherent response as he flung the wet towel onto the bed, to which she sighed in an irritated response to. "You are going to make the bed damp that way!" she muttered before snagging the towel off the silky bedspreads and shot him an exasperated glare. "Honestly, _men_! Thank the gods for the creation of women!"

Seto uncharacteristically smirked, "Indeed."

Ishizu disappeared into the bathroom and returned several seconds later carrying an armload of discarded clothes as well as the other wet towel in her arms, while Seto casually searched for a shirt to wear. "_Wear the black one_," she advised as she walked hurriedly passed him.

Seto shrugged and pulled out the same shirt she had suggested, before turning to look at her retreating form, taking note for the first time that she was wearing the golden hairclip he had given her, with the eye of Ra. He heard her hurry up the creaking stairs and make her way to a room above him, before he heard something been flung in a hollow object, which he assumed was a laundry basket, and then heard her make her way back.

He rolled the shirt over his head, while making his way over to the desk on the other side of the room, stepping through a soft lake of carpet that felt like cotton wool beneath his bare feet. There was work that needed to be done, _regardless of how tired he was_. The time zone difference was also killing him, as it felt like his days were that of a constant state of night, and his body was still functioning on Egyptian time. He heard Ishizu return, and had just managed to sit down, pull out the Domino City map, and find their area of location, when she walked in through the door for the second time that night.

She walked over to him soundlessly and quietly neatened some of the stray papers that fluttered untidily around the empty space of his desk, before turning to address him. "I've already sent for any information regarding Prince Atem's whereabouts, we should have them at the latest in three days. However, Domino City isn't nearly as big as most, in fact I'd rather call it a large town more than anything else, _so it shouldn't be too easy for him to hide_."

"I'm not so sure of that, but I do appreciate your efforts, thank you Ishizu." Seto often spoke kindly to her, though there was never a moment quite so much that she heard warmth in his voice, as he had now, clearly slipping away from his stony, cold authority figure when drained with exhaustion, but Ishizu knew better than anyone to think too much of it, because Seto, would never be fond of anyone or anything, other than peace and absolutequiet in _solitude_.

She reached into the pocket of her night-robe and pulled out a silver device, and gently held it out to him, "I replaced your Nintendo's batteries for you."

He side-glanced at it with an almost wary and resentful glare, like she had handed him something that spontaneously bit people.

Understanding immediately – an ability, which was something she had developed after serving him diligently for most of her twenty-three years of life – she found herself grinning in amusement. "Played it too much, eh?" she said, while stifling a small snicker, "_I understand_. I shall order you a newer model with new games before our trip back home. Would you also like me to replace you're romance novel with a _Playboy magazine _– I'm sure that the addition of visuals will you keep you more entertained…" she knew that she was looking for trouble with that last suggestion, but she just couldn't help it, though she grew slightly nervous when his whole body tensed.

Vampires didn't really blush, or at least Seto didn't, but she didn't need to see the light rosy burn on his cheeks, to know how he felt, _as he didn't turn to look at her_.

"Aren't you a little young to know of such things?" he asked quietly, as he returned his focus to the map in front of him, only half-paying attention to her.

Ishizu rolled her eyes, childishly annoyed, "Sire, I'll remind you that I am twenty-three now."

Seto whipped his gaze to hers a little astonished, "Really?"

Ishizu narrowed her eyes at him with a '_oh come on_!' expression.

He leaned back against his chair with a small smile on his lips, "_My_…time has surely escaped me. I still remember the days when you were just short of teenage-hood. _Forgive me_." He turned back to his work and continued looking for something that he only knew of, while Ishizu felt her face blush with slight embarrassment.

"Have you thought of me a child up until now?" she muttered lowly under her breath, taking deep offence.

Seto sighed tiredly, "Ishizu, to me you're still a child."

Ishizu bit her bottom lip before one very nasty retort left her lips, _remembering her place_, before closing her eyes, and composing herself. "Is there anything else that you require Sire?"

Seto shook his head without turning to look at her, totally engrossed with the information he was reading off the map. Ishizu shifted uncomfortably as she looked back towards the direction of the stairs that led up to the top floor of the mansion she had rented for the duration of their stay in Domino. "_Um_…Sire?"

Without looking up at her, he mumbled, "Hmm?"

"_Um_…would you mind if I read down here with you for a little while? This place is so big and lonely to be alone in…" she expected an immediate rejection from him, like he had been known to do with almost any personal request made to him by her family that too, had served him for many generations. If it didn't benefit him in some way, he didn't allow it - _that was it_. However, _exhausted Vampire Seto_ was full of surprises.

"Of course, make yourself comfortable," he answered softly, and began to circle certain locations with a red permanent marker, his attention and focus clearly elsewhere.

Ishizu raised an eyebrow wondrously before shrugging slightly and made her way to the soft velvet loveseat, and did indeed make herself comfortable, by propping up a pillow behind her back, and pulled out a book that she had left there earlier by mistake on the table beside it, before opening it to a page just short of the half-way mark. She grinned at its title, wondering what Seto would have thought if he had seen her reading it, 'Bram Stoker's Count Dracula.'

An hour went past silently, and before she knew it sleep had consumed her. Seto who had been working non stop, by mapping out the city with strategic intelligence, heard her breathing deepen behind him, and turned around in his chair, to catch sight of her deep in sleep. He then glanced over to his bed, before using his telekinetic ability to lift one of its velvety blankets spread over it, up into the air, and drifted it over to the other side of the room where she lay, before wrapping it around her sleeping form, aware that she had the right idea and that it was time to call it a night.

He looked back once more at the map, that was decorated with red, blue and green marker lines and circles, and decided that in three days, he would find Yami…_and so help him, when he did_.

* * *

Lamia strolled down the deserted streets, making her way back 'home,' and glanced around her for any signs of danger. She heard footsteps following close behind her, and knew she was being pursued, _but didn't care_. Ever since Bakura had changed her she didn't need to fear any human threat, as to her threats,_ meant free lunch_.

She looked down at her clothes, which were still bloodied and torn from fighting off Yugi when he held her captive, and suddenly she felt a little self-conscious. She needed to get new clothes…

She heard her pursuer running towards her from behind, and sighed. She had already predicted all his moves and wasn't surprised when he got right up against her back, and swung an arm around her neck, pressing a cold, sharp knife against her neck, while reaching to grab hold of her right arm. "If you scream I'll fucking cut ya!" he spat warningly into her ear, as he tried to yank her arm back, _but it wouldn't budge_. He grunted as he tried to force it back, but she still wouldn't give, and remained absolutely statue-still...

Usually she played with _them_, and allowed them to think that they had the upper hand, but tonight her confrontation with Yugi had sucked _all the play,_ out of her.

He grunted before shoving his weight further on her and whispered menacingly in her ear, "Now be a good little girl and come with me, or I'll slit your throat."

"Try," she encouraged darkly in a low, emotionless voice, still not making a single move to thrown him off her.

"What'cha say you little bitch?" he hissed angrily and pressed the knife deeper into her skin.

"Don't swear," she muttered lowly, her voice still devoid of all emotion, "_I don't like it_."

She felt him tense in astonishment before rage rippled through him, "You little fuck- Ah"

She elbowed him hard with one fluid motion that didn't at all affect the rest of her body - which had remained upright and solid - as though her arm was separate from the rest of it. She heard a loud crack as something inside him broke, before hearing his body thump loudly to the ground, and loud whimpers of pain escaped his lips. She turned around on him slowly and took note of his features, which she could see clearly in the dark. Her first impression of him was a low-life loser, with a bald, tattooed head and a scruffy five-o-clock shadow that looked like it was been grown to cover a scar on his left cheek. However, what surprised her, was that his clothes smelt and looked very clean, for their surroundings and circumstances. He glared at her with dark hostile eyes and bared his teeth angrily, "You fucking little whore!"

Oh no, _he didn't_…

'Bitch,' she could handle, but not that word. That word was the vilest and ugliest of them all, and only the slimiest of men would ever dare call a woman that. She flashed over to him with an inhuman speed that startled the man beneath her, as he jerked out the way with a frightened, wimpy cry of a coward.

"Call me that again…" she challenged darkly as she reached down and grabbed him around the neck. "_Say it_!" she flung him sideways against the wall, high enough that by the time he hit the plaster, he was in a standing up position before she flashed forward, and grabbed hold of him again. She grinned at him maniacally, baring her fangs, "_Silly boy_, never hunt the hunter! Didn't mommy ever teach you that?" She laughed insanely and tightened her grip around his throat, before loosening it and letting him fall away from her, covering her eyes and steeping back away from him.

Her body trembled as several different and confusing emotions swirled within her. The thug however took advantage of the situation, and dove into her holding out his knife. He imbedded the sharp blade just below her belly button, and thrust into her, _but he was in for an awful surprise_ when all she did was hiss in pain. Unlike his previous victim, she didn't double over or even sway on her feet, but remained stationary as though she's been hit with a pillow and not brutally stabbed.

She instantly back-handed him, and sent him sprawling across the ground, before ripping the knife out her gut, and glaring at him angrily, while holding the bloodied weapon stiffly at her side. _That was highly unnecessary_…

"Idiot!" she screamed angrily before violently flinging it at him. The knife bounced off the side of his head hard enough to make him cry out in pain, though luckily he was only hit with its blunt side and not its sharp point. His hand immediately lifted to where the knife had assaulted him, covering it from her view, which made her even angrier. She rushed at him and powerfully lifted him up by the neck yet again, before forcing his body against the wall hard enough to crack the plaster behind him. "Weakling!" she hissed at him angrily, before giving his body a quick shake, "You hide your face from me and _cry_ about a little blow to the side of your head? And you call yourself a man!" She pulled him a little way away from the wall before shoving him back into it hard, winding him slightly. "_How do you think I handled it, huh_? _How do you think I handled it_!"

The man began to sob breathlessly in pain, "Please, _please_! What do you want? What do you want, _I'll give you anything_!"

Lamia bit back a growl and flung her free hand against the wall, right beside his neck, hard enough to explode right through the plaster. She breathed heavily into his ear, dangerously on the verge of feral growling. "_I_ – _want _– _your_ – _jacket_!" she spat each word venomously, and within seconds, the thug had stripped it off his shoulders and held it out to her at his side.

"It's yours!" he vowed with wide and frightened eyes.

Lamia glared into his, her eyes merciless and almost evil-seeming with hollow blackness, before snapping her arm out and grabbing it away from him harshly. "_Don't run_…" she warned threateningly, as she released her grip around his neck, and took a small step back.

He didn't listen, and immediately tried to make a break for it, but Lamia instantly caught him around the scuff of his shirt and flung him back into the wall hard. His legs buckled beneath him on impact, and he slid to the floor, staring wide-eyed and frightened, up at her, as she glared down at him murderously. "Are you deaf _or stupid_? I said don't run, _what's the matter with you?_" She huffed angrily as she lifted the jacket up to her gaze, and inspected it. It was a clean-smelling black leather jacket, with a simple design, but good quality nonetheless.

She quickly shrugged into it, and found it to be two-sizes too big for her, before zipping it up, happy that it covered most of her damaged clothes, while still giving her, a similar style to _Yugi's._ She smoothed the jacket's front over, before looking back at thug, who was still cowardly, crouched against the wall, looking up at her with frightened almost pleading eyes. "What do you think?" she asked him enquiringly, before giving him a small, twirl on her heels.

The thug trembled slightly, almost too afraid to answer, "It…it…it uh, looks…looks great...m-much better than it…than it did on m-me."

Lamia smiled at him, before her eyes caught sight of the discarded flick knife that was still caked with her dark, almost black blood. "I want that knife too."

The thug only dared to move his gaze over to it, while keeping the rest of his body perfectly still. "T-the knife, w-wa-why?"

Lamia breathed in and out deeply, "To castrate this jerk I know."

The thug's eyes widened, "Uh…a-alright."

Lamia bent down and plucked it up from the ground, flicking it slightly from side to side in her hand, before turning back to him. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked him unexpectedly.

The thug nodded his head hesitantly, still fearful of her, and convinced that she was crazy.

"Do you treat her well? Hmm? Do you call her when you're going to be late? Do you call her when you can't make it? Do you cheat on her with other girls?"

The thug felt a cold sweat break out from the base of his neck, and his heart jolted into a rapid beat. "I uh, I uh, I…"

Lamia frowned and glared at him darkly. "You're all the same!" she spat angrily, clenching the knife-bearing hand into an iron tight fist. "Do you know what I am _you filth_?"

_Terrified_, the thug shook his head violently, trying to crawl back into the wall that he was leaning against.

"I…" she paused, before glaring at him murderously, "_Am your worst nightmare_! The avenging angel of women everywhere! _You know the story of Adam and Eve right_? I'm Eve's best friend, you little insignificant cockroach…I'll let you live tonight, on the condition that you go straight back to your girlfriend and do ever single little thing she asks you to do…do you understand me? And if you don't…_if you hurt her_, or _mistreat_ her, I'll know about it! Do you understand me? I'll know about it! _And I'll hunt you down_…I'll hunt you down and remove your testicles, so you'll know exactly what it's like to be '_ball-less'_ and have to constantly submit under you arrogant bastards. Do you understand me? _She's everything to you now_, got it? _Good_…now get out of here!"

Without needing to be told twice, the thug nodded his head fearfully, and continued to bob it up and down as he scrambled off the floor and fled down the road, disappearing into the night faster than a bullet could fly. Lamia watched after him with a raised eyebrow, _wondering what his problem was_, before shrugging it off, and hiding the knife away in one of her new jacket's front pockets. She shook her right hand free of its oversized sleeve, and punched her shoulder hard, before wincing in pain. _That was for swearing_…

After throwing one more glance at the thug's retreating form, Lamia began on her way home, suddenly in a much better mood than she had been in all evening…

* * *

Yugi entered the apartment quietly, and slowly closed the door with a light click, before stepping over to the living room, _partly confident_ that Tea was asleep, when a light flared on above him. "Where've you been?"

_Busted! _

Yugi's shoulders slumped in defeat and his mouth twitched, before he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and slowly turned around to face her. "Hey Tea, are you still up?"

She had her back leant up against the doorframe of her bedroom, with her arms folded across her chest, and blue eyes both suspicious and annoyed, glaring at him from across the room. "What does it look like? _I've been up worrying about you_!"

Yugi smiled, overly cheerful upon hearing her words, "You were worried about me Tea?"

Tea narrowed her eyes at him, "Of course I was worried about you! You've been gone for nearly an hour, where'd you park Yami's car, on the other side of the city or something? I thought you said you'd be right back."

Yugi sighed and straightened up, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip as he contemplated on how to go about explaining everything he needed to, _briefly wondering where he could find chains if he needed them_. "I uh, went back to check on Yami."

Her expression immediately lit up, "_Really_? How is he? Is he okay? Can I see him yet?"

Yugi nodded, "Yeah he's fine…_um_…Tea, look."

She immediately became alarmed at his lowered, almost regretful, _tone_, and her eyes widened with worry, but she didn't interrupt him, unable to voice her fears in preparation for the worst.

"Yami wants you to stay in with me tomorrow, where you'll be safe…I can't go out into the sun, so I won't be able to protect you anyway else…you totally understand right?"

Unfortunately not…

"_What?" _

Yugi cringed at her shrill tone, his immediate thought being, '_here is comes_.'

"I can't just stay in the whole day, what about work? I've already missed enough of it, and it's a wonder how I haven't been fired yet! No! I can't do that, I'm sorry," Tea shook her head stubbornly and immediately went on before Yugi had a chance to open his mouth. "Shootings happen all the time in Domino, just like everywhere else in the world. Things aren't any different now than they had been before you guys arrived, and as much as I love Yami, I can't just hide from the world every time my life is in danger, _I'm not that kind of girl_! I'm going to work tomorrow and that's final!"

Yugi cringed yet again at the high pitch in her voice, before wetting his lips, and giving her a small, nervous seeming grin, "_Uh yeah_, I totally see your point and where you're coming from Tea…but you see, here's _the big picture_, okay? This wasn't a random shooting, _this was personal_…and there may be more of these still to come, okay? Now visualize this – you going to work – me and Yami MIA – second killer jumps out and shoots you – you die – and I have to explain to Yami _why_…now I don't want to Tea, but I'd rather face your bitching than explain to him why I let his _beautiful girlfriend, _that he risked his own life to protect, die _on my watch_, so If you're going to make this difficult then I'm going to have to force you to stay…do we connect here?" He motioned a back and forth motion with his hands, smiling nervously as her eyes darkened.

"What do you mean it was personal?" she asked him with a concerned frown, "Do you know who shot him?"

"I uh…" Yugi scratched the back of his head nervously, not quite sure if he had made a wise move by telling her this, "Well, your wannabe assassin today, was hired by that guy, James."

Tea's eyes widened in horror, "N-no…no!"

Yugi raised an eyebrow, "You don't think so?" Tea looked close to tears, which alarmed him immediately. "Hey, Tea, what's wrong?"

"Oh my god…_it's all my fault_. James warned me he would, but I didn't listen!" she burst into tears, and shuddered violently, falling back against the wall as she covered her eyes with both hands. "It's all, my fault!"

Yugi gripped her gently around the shoulders and held her up, giving her a gentle shake. "Tea, hey! Listen to me, it is not your fault, don't even think it! _This is all James' fault_ and he will pay for it… _Mark my words, he will_." There was an unnatural darkness about the way he had said that last part, _in a voice almost too low for Tea to hear_, but he didn't give her time to ponder over it as he took her into his arms and hugged her. "_He wants you Tea_, but Yami will never hand you over to anyone or anything without a fight, and if James wants to try, he can…_but he'll lose_. You just have to trust him."

Tea hesitantly hugged Yugi back and buried her face into the crook of his neck, sobbing quietly. "I do trust him, but I don't want to be the reason he gets hurt!"

Yugi hushed her with a low whispery voice and stroked the back of her head, gently entwining his fingers between a few of her chocolate strands. "Tea…" he didn't know what to say, without sounding too sappy and utterly fake, so he decided to rather leave this one for Yami to deal with, who was a natural at the art of consoling. "Look, today's been a really stressful and hard day. Let's both get some sleep, and tomorrow…_I'll take you to see Yami._"

Tea's head whipped up, and she gently pushed Yugi away to look at him, with wide partly excited eyes that were also a tad bit suspicious. "You'd really take me to see Yami tomorrow?"

Yugi nodded, "Look, it's totally a bribe okay; _I'm not going to lie about that_. So if you stay in here with me tomorrow, without giving me any hassles, I'll gladly reunite you two _lovebirds_."

Tea blinked her eyes disbelievingly, "B-but what about… Y-you said that I couldn't until Yami was better, because I might let something slip-"

Yugi held up a hand to stop her, "Yeah I know what I said, but I've figured out a way to do it without risking either of your safeties. That is, _if you trust me_."

Tea frowned thoughtfully, before lifting her gaze to meet his, "You've never given me a reason not to trust you Yugi…_so of course I do_."

_Shows how much she knew_, Yugi realized, before smiling back at her. "Good, so do we have a deal?"

As realization dawned on what Yugi had offered her, excitement grew wildly within Tea, and she nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes!"

Yugi nodded and then pointed to her room, "Go get some sleep. Yami will kill me if I don't bring you to him in peak condition."

Tea sighed and rolled her eyes, "Goodnight Yugi."

"Night Tea, don't let the bed bugs bite…I can think of better places to donate your blood to." He winked at her.

Tea, flinched one eye closed slightly and stared at him with a mocked look of wariness, "Yugi, I swear, if I wake up and find you biting me tonight, I'll shove a stake right up your ass!"

Yugi raised both eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah…wouldn't want that now would I? But you don't have to worry about that Tea; you're perfectly safe with me."

"Hmm, I wonder about that," Tea mumbled under her breath as she stepped backwards into her room, and was about to turn around and walk back to her bed, when an odd, random thought came to her. "Hey, Yugi? Can I ask you something totally weird?"

Yugi shrugged, "Sure go ahead."

Tea stared at him thoughtfully for several seconds, pondering over her question, before meeting his gaze with a curious one. "What's it like being bitten by a vampire?"

Yugi raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Want me to bite you so that you can find out?"

Tea gasped and instinctively took a step back, shaking her head, to which he chuckled in amusement to. "Relax Tea, I wouldn't ever do that to you…_I value my existence_." He rolled his eyes before continuing, "It depends."

"On what exactly?" Tea asked curiously, unconsciously raising a hand to stroke the side of her neck where she'd imagine being bitten.

"Well, on where you're bitten…if our fangs bite into certain pressure points, you can actually experience quite an orgasmic thrill, which by the way is the safest way to be bitten by a vampire, because it produces the least blood, and the endorphins that are pumped into your blood during that scenario, manipulate the taste, so to prevent us from going into a wild frenzy, _which sometimes happens_. Otherwise it's pretty much just as you'd expect any foreign, sharp object being plunged into your body…_painful_."

Still interested Tea asked yet another curious question, "You're kind actually pumps endorphins into people when you bite them? How does that work?"

Yugi shrugged, "I don't know, it's just something that '_is_' without that much of a real explanation, what we use it for though, is generally to enhance sexual pleasure, because when in that state we also reap the sexual satisfaction in the same way a human does…but the endorphins can be used for something else as well…you see, if a human is bitten that way by the _same_ _vampire_ enough times, _it mates them_."

Tea gave him a confused look, "What does that mean?"

"It's a physical bond that ties a human to a vampire permanently, which disables other vampires from feeding off them, or even touching them really…it's kind of like a natural '_hands-off_' warning that affects our sensory-systems."

Tea stood staring at him quite flabbergasted, unable to think of a single thing to say, "That's um…wow, _quite something_."

Yugi raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Do you have anymore questions you'd like me to answer, or are we done?"

Tea immediately shook her head, "No, no, I was just curious about that one, thanks. _Um_, night Yugi."

"Night Tea," Yugi grinned as she disappeared into her room, before shaking his head. _Humans_.

He walked over to the couch, and smiled when he saw two silver-wrapped sweets, placed neatly on his pillow. Glancing to the side, he also saw that she had blocked her windows out with newspaper and cardboard, before hanging up new, dark drapes, to block out the sun. He had not expected that, and was quite impressed, briefly wishing he had noticed sooner so that he could have thanked her before she went to bed.

Slumping down on the couch, he unwrapped one of the sweets and slipped it into his mouth, before resting his head back and stared up at the ceiling. _Finally in three days he could get some sleep_ - his sensitive hearing picked up on heavy breathing and panting, as well as pleasurable moans of ecstasy and loudly whispered dirty talk, exchanged by lovers from one of the apartments next door, as they got hot and heavy in a moment of passion – and suddenly realized he had spoken too soon. Feeling as though he wanted to cry, he flung a pillow over his head, and whimpered tragically beneath it, as passion increased, _noisily_, between the lovers, _reminding him too closely of what he was missing_.

'_It's official…the universe hates me!'_he grumbled.

* * *

Ryou stood from a ledge that shared its space with a horrific appearing horned gargoyle, and watched a young female climb into the bed of her hotel room. She seemed to note that her curtains were still open, but was too tired to care, and immediately killed the lights, plunging her world into darkness. He watched her face closely as it slowly softened from its tense expression to a peaceful one, falling easily into sleep.

_What fascinates you about this human, Ryou?' _The mental voice of Bakura hissed with curious interest.

"What do you mean?" Ryou answered absently, as he kept watch over the sleeping human, whose black spiky cut hair seemed to spread out around her head like a dark halo, illuminated brightly with crimson highlights.

"_Humph…I don't understand why you've wasted three nights watching her from a lover's angle, when I've seen absolutely no use for her, other than draining her dry. Do you really want to test 'His' patience? We have little time already on our hands to waste!" _

Ryou rolled his eyes, "I'm aware of that already Bakura, and if you must know, I am fascinated by her _warrior's spirit_. The girl is much stronger than most humans, and her skilled ability _to fight_, surpasses even that of our Ancient Egyptian warriors, which in all, _I find incredible_."

'_Do you wish to turn her then?'_

Ryou's eyes widened in shock, "Turn her?"

'_Since Lamia's demise, we have need for a new recruit, perhaps if this girl is as great a fighter as you say she is, she might have a chance of actually succeeding this time.'_

Ryou looked uncomfortable and bit his lip, "We don't know that yet…"

'_Don't be a fool Ryou! We'd have found her by now if she lived. Yes, it's true that she surpassed our expectations in the past, but she wasn't up against an ordinary vampire, whose powers we still do not know of, though definitely great. Accept it, she's been destroyed.'_

"But…" Ryou trailed off, as his shoulders eventually slumped in defeat.

'_You are such a sentimental fool! I told you not to get attached, you never listen! Perhaps learning the hard way has now taught you something valuable for your existence my friend.'_

"Bakura, what if we make the same mistake, we made with Lamia? What if _she_ fails too?" Ryou asked him thoughtfully, ignoring Bakura's harsh words.

'_Then she fails, and we make a new one, it is as simple as that Ryou, you fool.'_

"Why don't we just kill _him_ ourselves?" Ryou grumbled through clenched teeth. "We're much _older_ and _stronger_ than him, so it shouldn't be all that difficult…_we'd have a much better chance than a newborn_."

'_Fool!' _The voice roared angrily in his head. _'We have much more important business to tend to in regards with Prince Atem to deal with that abomination! Do not ask me such a stupid question ever again Ryou, I forbid such idiocy from you.' _

Ryou immediately sensed that there was _more to it than that_, but would never have dared voice his suspicion out loud, because what he sensed from the voice in his head, was more like _fear_ of Atem's brother, than finding him a irritating pest; _but why_? Bakura had never been afraid of anyone before, and was only minutely threatened by Atem, _for reasons he would not share_, but his reaction to the other vampire was rather odd. "As you wish, Bakura."

'_We cannot waste anymore time Ryou, 'He' is growing impatient. I'd like to see__ though, what this girl is capable of first, before we turn her, to see if she is worthy of the gift.'_

_Worthy of the gift? _Ryou nearly snorted, before inconspicuously rolling his eyes.

"_And if the girl does prove herself worthy-"_

"Razz," Ryou muttered under his breath, "_She calls herself Razz_."

"_I don't care Ryou, as long as by the end of this week she's leaving drained corpses behind her - personal characteristics mean very little to me. Now cease your window shopping for the night, as I've grown thirsty and dawn is near approach. You'll have plenty of time to look at her once we have her in our possession."_

Ryou climbed to his feet gracefully, without taking his eyes off her face, and smiled wickedly, before nodding his head in agreement.

* * *

**Well…the plot thickens. I've got a lot of action planned for chapter 18, which will hopefully be updated sooner. Oh yes…and as promise****d, a lemon scene. I really hope you guys have enjoyed chapter 17, it wasn't exactly easy to write…mmm. And hopefully you'll all love the trouble I'm brewing for our beloved characters next. Oh and as you can see, Seto's still a workaholic, even as a vampire. (Didn't see that coming did you? – rolls eyes)**

**Alright! Alright! I'm going. See you!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys ! did you miss me? I missed you! And welcome to chapter 18! I'm going to make this short because I know you want to get reading ASAP, but I would like to thank you all for still sticking with me, even though i'm not as fast with as updating as I used to be. **

**Now as promised I have given you guys a lemon. For sensitive readers I suggest you skip the first part and start by Yugi's song instead. **

**I'd also like to welcome and thank Dany, for reviewing Perfect Strangers, um in my first year of Spanish my teacher told me not to come back or ever speak it again, so I'm just going to say 'Gracias' and that I have no intention of going anywhere. **

**Rating: Rated M!**

**Disclaimer: Some day...**

**AN: Let's party!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**(Three years ago…)**

The fire-lit torches cast a soft red glow against the tomb walls, creating an eerie yet darkly charming atmosphere as Yugi made his way silently down the long winded corridor towards his new chamber. His head still ached from the transformation, and his body sagged on each step as exhaustion rested heavily on his shoulders, while the drying blood from the slave girl he had just killed, thickly caked the front of his torso. He couldn't think of anything further than the need for sleep, as he felt the electric current of the sun's nearing approach, hit the invisible shield that made up the atmosphere around their dark world, like an instinctive warning.

There was a lot that he still needed to learn about his new found abilities, things that his father had ordered his uncle, Aknadin, and his cousin, Seto, to teach him that following evening, but there were some things that he knew he'd have to learn himself…Like how to navigate with temporary 'light-blindness.' His eyes were like a newborn's, still adjusting to the world around him, only with _heightened __vision_ that had only one catch…_it __only __worked __in __the __dark_!

He stiffly, felt along the walls with one outstretched hand, using them to guide his way to his new room, until a soft, icy cold hand gripped him around his wrist and forcibly tugged him backward. Reacting instinctively to a 'threat,' Yugi immediately thrust his arm back, bringing along the vampire that had dared to cease him, before spinning its body around and shoved it up against the wall, latching on to her familiar scent in the process, and visibly relaxed, before pinning her arms to her side. "What do you want Dendera?" He growled huskily, not in the mood for her games.

He struggled to see her clearly through his new heightened vision that gave him an image of a blurry world with shocking-coloured sharpness, but he recognized her long, silky flowing midnight black hair as it poured over her shoulders and down her waist, as well as her glowing golden eyes that sparkled brightly in the light like a yellow diamond under a spotlight, as well as her oddly sweetened and delicious scent.

Her dark ruby red lips curled into a flirtatious smirk, mesmerising him almost into a trance, as she gently flicked out a light pink tongue and ran it slowly over her top lip. "I thought you'd like to know that Prince Atem is in good health and well." She purred hotly in his ear, before gently flicking her tongue along his earlobe, sending a familiar, needy chill through his body.

_Yami_! Yugi cringed back, suddenly enraged. Yami had attacked him from behind in anger, and Yugi had almost killed him, that much he remembered, but the rest was pretty much still a blur. He remembered that it wasn't intentional; in fact Yugi hadn't actually realized what he was doing until he had Yami up against the wall by the throat, while his chest bled badly from an open wound that stretched right across his torso in a deep gash, along with the memory of Dendera, desperately trying to yank him back by his right arm, begging him to release him. "Of course he is; you would never allow him to die."

Dendera pushed herself up against him, closing whatever little distance they had between themselves, and gently nipped along his neck, before trailing her tongue apologetically along them. "Now, now…my Prince," she whispered seductively, rubbing her chest suggestively against his. "There is no need to be jealous, for I have reserved my evening schedules solely to satisfy your needs and desires…alone," she purred breathily, and Yugi assumed that the disappearance of her one golden orb meant that she was winking at him, before he felt her bring up a knee to gently nudge his member, causing him to hiss in erotic need.

"That is…" she purred delightfully in his ear, "If you need me?"

His body screamed for hers, demandingly tightening every muscle within it, and a hot chill seemed to course through all his sensitive regions, making it impossible for him to concentrate, and consequently made him release the tight grip he had on her, allowing her to squirm free of his hold. _Big__mistake_! She immediately attacked his chest by running her hands roughly over his firm abs, purring in contempt before extending her cat-like claws and slicing him open in long thin bloody trails, which only intensified his arousal.

"Dendera…" he groaned lustfully as the sharpness of her claws ripping through his skin, sharply heightened the pleasurable sensation that coursed through his entire being. "S-s-stop…I'm tired."

Dendera ignored him and began to suckle along his neck, finding and teasing all his sensitive spots, which brought on several kinds of different pleasures. He unconsciously found his hands snaking up the sides of her thighs, roughly pulling up her silky flowing, mini dress, before thrusting up against her, and pushing her further against the wall, while placing his lips against the smooth, bare space that her shoulder offered him, growling into it with evident frustration.

"My Prince, the light must be killing your young eyes, shall we take this affair to your chambers?" Dendera whispered into his ear seductively, encouraging him further by rubbing up against his hardened member that was screaming for release…_and__her__attention_.

Yugi panted frustratingly as his body burned with need that desperately needed relief. "N-no, I'm too tired for this…we've had enough fun for one night."

Dendera lightly stroked his member with a teasing amount of pressure that he could barely feel, yet was powerfully overwhelmed by. "You are mistaken my Prince, you are referring to our time together that took place seven nights ago…you've been in a transformative coma for a week now. _Let__me__treat__you_…"

Yugi whipped his aching and confused head up, and stared at her with a bewildered expression, "What?" A week long transformative coma was highly abnormal, as it only should have lasted ten hours, or a day at most.

Dendera hushed him by placing a finger on his lips and shook her head softly from side to side, without taking her golden feline eyes off him. "Do not concern yourself Sire, all is well now…ah, you are so much stronger now." She breathed in deeply as she ran her hands over his body, finding all his muscular bulges before moaning huskily. "Take me into your arms once again my Prince; I crave your touch as much as you crave mine!" She thrust her hand into his pants and squeezed the hardened bulge of his member, to prove her point, to which Yugi could only growl in relief to, his mind growing completely blank of all thoughts and centred on the intense pleasure.

Instead of questioning her like he would have liked, Yugi found his arms tighten around her waist and pull her body closer to his, before twisting it around and lifting her up into his arms, supporting her back with one arm and her legs with the other, roughly showering her neck with kisses as she purred in sexual delight. He sensed his way skilfully down the corridor to his room, and dove behind the door, shutting it loudly behind them with a nudged of his elbow, and allowed a relieved moan to escape him as pitch black darkness drowned them both welcomingly, enabling him to see with perfect clarity once again.

Dendera smirked up at him seductively, before giving him a suggestive wink. "The darkness welcomes you Sire."

There wasn't a single detail he could miss, even though there was not a trace of light to bee seen, which was almost as though the room was as bright as day. His huge golden four-poster bed stood magnificently on a raised platform, decorated by magnificent sails of silky, semi-transparent red and gold sheets that hung lazily from the ceiling, which exotically mystified the bedroom area of the room, whereas long red, velvet curtains, hid the bed completely from view, giving the activities which took place within it, absolute privacy. He hurriedly carried Dendera over to it, and laid her down on the soft sheets that slid easily beneath their skin.

He had her beneath him, as he started to tug up her dress, quickly growing impatient, when she gently pushed him back and narrowed her eyes at him, playfully. "You destroyed my dress last time when you played so roughly with me, so allow me to assist you-"

Yugi ran his hands inward from her shoulders and down to the slight curve of her dress that showed a lot of her cleavage before violently ripping it open, and shot her a not-so-apologetic smirk.

Dendera breathed out an annoyed breath and narrowed her eyes yet again at him, but wisely, said nothing. Yugi then began to attack her throat with violent, needy kisses, and made his way down her collar bone, and then to her light pink nubs that were left exposed and suckled on it teasingly until her irritated breathing was turned into hotly excited pants. His hand roamed sneakily in between her thighs and gently teased her inner lips, which she immediately responded to by arching into him and moaning loudly.

"Do you like that?" Yugi growled in her ear playfully, before thrusting two fingers into her a little harder.

She panted into the bare skin of his shoulder and lightly nipped it, before growling in acknowledgement. Yugi began to thrust back and forth into her, nipping and sucking on every inch of her delicately soft skin, before making his way back up to her neck. He felt her inner walls tighten around him, and pulled out just before she could climax, to which she whined in protest to, before giving him a questioning glare. He pressed her body back down onto the bed, before hovering over her, staring down at her with large, scary red eyes that had grown somewhat _strange_ for him. He didn't miss the slight look of wariness that formed in Dendera's eyes, with an evident uncomfortable fear, but ignored it as he tore the remainder of her dress off her cold body and flung it swiftly to their side.

Dendera rose on cue and began to unbuckle his belt, flashing him semi-confident smirks, before flinging her long veil of black hair back, over her shoulder, and jolted the button of his blood stained jeans upward, before yanking the zipper down. She was about to touch him again, but he quickly grabbed hold of her wrists and laid her back down beneath him, before climbing out of the constricting clothing, never taking his darkened ruby gaze off her. Without looking away he reached out and tugged a long golden rope, which unclipped the dark red curtains around his bed, covering them completely from the potential sight of others.

She gave him a seductive look, before squirming beneath him, and invitingly fluttered her eyes. "Do you want me Prince Yugi?"

Yugi looked her stunning body over, hungrily, allowing just for one night, his hormones to take control over his thoughts. He would never want Dendera in any other way, than a sexual way, just like he suspected he would feel about any girl. He nodded, before leaning down and claiming her neck yet again, and violently thrust himself into her, gasping at the electrifying pleasure that coursed through him, which was unlike any sensation he had ever felt before, and paused while breathing heavily.

Dendera smiled blissfully as pleasure took hold of her as well, before chuckling lowly at his reaction. "Y-yes my Prince…for us…our kind…the feeling is much more intense," she whispered breathlessly.

Yugi thrust himself deeper into her, growling at the intensity before quickening his pace, his breathing becoming laboured and agonized as an overwhelming sensation of intense, almost raw, pleasure, which he had never experienced before, took hold of his entire being. Dendera, also reaping in the enjoyment, clawed his back open in deep slashes with her sharp nails. "H-ha-harder!" she squealed, as her body strained and tensed. Yugi complied and immediately felt his climax near.

He reached in behind Dendera and pulled her up slightly, before thrusting in so hard that the bed lurched forward and smacked against the wall, causing a loud thud, and she screamed in absolute bliss, as he hit the right spot within her, before doing the same thing again, and again, and again…until eventually on the fourth time he violently and hungrily bit into her neck, bringing forth a prolonged, mind blowing and body shattering orgasm. Yugi collapsed on top of her, before rolling off onto his side, and stared up at the dark stone ceiling, panting heavily with a dazed expression.

Dendera immediately curled up next to him and began licking his chest, where dry blood still lingered, and briefly allowed her fangs to gently caress his skin.

"I think…that's the best _we__'__ve_ ever had," Yugi commented, before blowing a rebellious blonde streak off the side of his face.

He felt Dendera smirk against his chest, before giving him a small nip that drew blood, and sucked on it, causing another pleasurable chill to dart to his lower region. She then rose up slightly and held herself up by her elbows, smiling up at him seductively. "I'm inclined to agree, Sire," she ran a hand over his abs and rested it on his heart, "But that's not to say that all the other times weren't just as great."

"But it would have been better if you had bedded my brother instead, correct?" Yugi muttered bitterly, before folding his muscular arms behind his head and tearing his gaze away from hers.

He felt Dendera's body tense, for several seconds, and then felt her slide her way up the silky bedspreads to his side, and gently stroked the side of his face. "No Sire…It is your touch and only yours that I truly crave."

Yugi actually laughed at hearing that, finding her lie to be absolutely ridiculous. "Only mine? Please Dendera do not insult my intelligence, for I have only granted that right to my brother."

Dendera sat up with a concerned look on her face, "I'm being perfectly serious my Prince."

Yugi smirked humourlessly up at her with a knowing look in his eye, "Who nursed my brother back to health then?"

Dendera looked away to the other side of the room, "It was my duty Sire, which you are well aware of already…"

"And you except me to believe that the treatment you bestowed on him was completely innocent?" there was a certain bitterness, evident in Yugi's voice, but Dendera ignored it as she continued to stroke his bared flesh with intricate patterning.

"Believe me Sire, Prince Atem would not allow me touch him at all, once he awoke from his injuries. In fact we've had to sedate him several times this past week to keep him under control." This was news to Yugi, who up until now had not had a word of Yami mentioned to him by anyone else.

"Keep him under control?" Yugi repeated questioningly, and narrowed his eyes slightly when Dendera confirmed it with a small, gentle nod. "Why?"

Dendera smiled at him with a less than innocent look in her eyes, before shaking her head gently, "Do not let it concern you now Sire, there will be plenty of enough time for all that later."

Yugi once again returned his gaze thoughtfully towards the ceiling, too tired to dwell on any Yami related thoughts, however thinking about his brother, reminded him of another sinful, earlier activity that he had partly forgotten about in the heat of the moment between him and Dendera. "I killed a girl earlier, and practically tore her body apart…and yet I feel absolutely _nothing_."

Dendera gave him a curious side glance, before slowly turning to face him. "You mean initiation gift, Sire?"

Yugi nodded, and then shrugged with an almost bored expression, "Well I assume, since she was chained to the wall in the room I awoke in…but it would be impossible to identify her now though, _whoever__she__was_, unless of course if I feel like building a human puzzle later on…Her blood though was the sweetest I have ever tasted."

"Virgin blood," Dendera purred, before she leaned down next to him and gently flicked her tongue along his collarbone, making her way to his ear. "You'll be drawn to innocence now like a moth to a flame, virgin blood specifically. You are now a creature of the dark Sire, your heart is now as black as mine, and you'll never experience your old pitiful half-human emotions ever again…your days of being weak are now over," she whispered breezily in his ear.

Yugi smirked, before grabbing her around the waist and lifting her onto him, giving her an intense, perfectly serious look that only contained a slight trace of amusement. "You know that I've never _had__a__heart_, Dendera."

* * *

**(Yugi's version of the Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars - opening!)**

Today I don't feel like doing anything  
I just wanna lay in my bed  
Don't feel like picking up my phone  
And listening to my brother moan  
'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything

I'm gonna kick my feet up  
Then stare at the fan  
Flip the neighbours off just because I can

Nobody's gonna tell me I can't

_(Fuck them if they do!)_

Yeah…

I'll be lounging on the couch,  
While burning down the study

Call up my ex and tell her that she's fugly  
'Cause in this world I'm the freaking man  
Oh, oh!

Yes I said it  
I said it  
I said it 'cause I _am_

Today I don't feel like doing anything  
I just wanna lay in my bed  
Don't feel like picking up my phone  
Because my brother is gonna moan  
- 'That today I'm not doing anything…  
Nothing at all!

O-oo' o-oo' boo-hoo-hoo, nothing at all o'oo o'oo boo hoo oo

Tomorrow I'll wake up, do some P90X  
Meet a really nice girl, _have __some __really __hot __sex_  
And she's gonna scream out: 'This is Great'  
(Oh my Ra, this is great) **(-**_**in**__**Yami**__**'**__**s**__**voice**_**)**  
Yeah….! (_WTF?_)

I'm going to mess around, and be a Dupree  
Get Yami so damn tired of me  
But sorry Bro, you'll just have to deal  
Oh, oh

Yes I said it  
I said it  
I said it 'cause I can

Today I don't feel like doing anything  
I just wanna lay in my bed  
Don't feel like picking up my phone  
Fuck off Yami - I don't like your tone  
And today I still swear I'm not doing anything _(ha__ha__ha __sucker!)_

No, I ain't gonna comb my hair  
It's going to stay like that anyway…  
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, oh

I'll just strut in my birthday suit  
Till Yami gives me the boot  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-eah

Oh

Today I don't feel like doing anything  
I just wanna lay in my bed  
Don't feel like picking up my phone  
Yeah Yami you can just go on and moan  
'Cause today I swear _will __not _do anything

Nothing at all (woohoo woohoo woohoohoohoo)  
Nothing at all (boohoo boohoo fuck-yo'oou-all)  
Nothing at all

* * *

Yugi's eyes fluttered open drowsily as his dream came to an end, feeling the tight and painful ache of his lower region swelling in protest of both the arousing dream, and probably also because it was missing its _familiar __grounds_, or _attention_ so to speak. He had almost completely forgotten about that early morning dawn, three years ago; when he had staggered weakly out of the initiation chamber, with a slave girl's blood soaking him from chest to knees, and being partly blinded by the candle lights, before falling right back into Dendera's clutches. All of which made up the dark chapter of his life…

Yami didn't quite know about their 'relationship' just yet, in which a confession, if Yugi could help it, would be dragged out for as long as he could possibly chance it…not that it was much of a confession though. _What __could __Yugi __possibly __tell __Yami?_ That he had been sleeping with their arch enemy for years, right under his nose, in which several times, Dendera had gotten the names wrong and called out his name instead of Yugi's in a bliss moment of passion?

_Yeah __right_!

He grimaced slightly as his aroused member, burned with pain, which then briefly subsided before aching again, and growled lowly under his breath in frustration of his own, before shifting onto his side, registering for the first time since he awoke, on how limited his space was. He narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion as he observed the sickly green coloured corduroy surface that was a little rough to the touch, before glancing up and taking note of somewhat familiar furnishings. However, it was the small, softly spoken voice that came from the corner of the room that immediately reminded him of where he was.

"Sorry, did I wake you, Yugi?" Tea asked softly from her corner, in a concerned and somewhat regretful voice.

Yugi instinctively backed into the couch and pulled the blankets more firmly over his _early-evening_ boner, making sure that it was well-hidden from sight. "Uh…um, _no_ you didn't," he causally stretched out his arms from behind his head and yawned, before bringing one back and folding it back, behind his head, giving her a cheerful smile. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi yourself…I thought you'd be asleep longer, it's only three," Tea mimicked his smile, though there was an odd look in her eyes of a misty emotion that Yugi couldn't quite place that seemed just short of grim discomfort.

Yugi glanced warily at the boarded windows, and could sense the instinctive warning sensation of sunlight behind them, before yawning again. "Yeah, ever since I've left Egypt my nocturnal schedule's gone haywire, so it doesn't really make much of a difference to me anymore." He turned his gaze back to her, and observed her a little more closely, sensing a little uneasiness within her and wondered why. She was sitting in an armchair, with her legs crossed, in a tensed and rigid posture, with her arms half folded on her lap; her hands covering what appeared to be a letter.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. Did you sleep okay though?" She was trying to be normal Yugi realized. His first thought was that somehow, while he'd been asleep, her stalker had made an appearance and freaked her out somehow, but on closer observation, he noted that Tea was only trying to mask her unease, _not__fear_.

"Well, _by __okay_, you mean I was able to at least catch a few hours of sleep after your neighbours quietened down from their _four-hour __ecstasy __marathon_…yeah, I slept okay." He once again yawned, and uncomfortably shifted onto his side, still paining from his all too existent boner that didn't look like it planned on going anywhere, anytime soon.

Tea's eyes widened, before softening apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry Yugi that must have been Abby and…_one __of __her __clients __last __night_."

Yugi sniffed dismissively, "_Figures._ Its okay Tea, I got the sleep I needed…what have you been up to all morning, and uh, _afternoon_?"

Tea inconspicuously folded the letter she had been reading, while keeping her eyes on Yugi, smiling at him gently. "Well fortunately Mr. Hardwick had somewhere he needed to go urgently today, so he called to tell me I had the day off, and I didn't have much else to do except re-read my copy of _Breaking __Dawn_."

Yugi's eyes widened in shock, "_You_…_read_?" He said the word 'read' as though he had bitten into a lemon.

Tea rolled her eyes, "Don't tell me you're one of those kinds."

Yugi narrowed his eyes, before scratching the back of his head, deciding to rather ignore the topic he instigated, and returned his thoughts to a more curious one, unable to help his simple, one-tracked mind. "What does this Abby look like exactly?"

Tea shot him a look, before mumbling something that sounded like 'typical' and decided to ignore him instead, as she rose up from the couch. "Can I get you something…_other __than __blood_?"

Yugi pondered over this for a minute before shaking his head, "Nah, I'm cool."

Tea raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? You haven't eaten anything since last night…can't vampires like eat, _normal __food_, or something?"

"Well…_not __really_, but seriously Tea, I'm fine." Yugi smiled up at her convincingly, before giving her a charming wink. "Thanks for offering though." _Please __leave __now!_ He thought secretly, as the pain grew more intense, making it harder for him to keep up the act of normality.

"No problem…um, Yugi, can vampires really not eat or drink anything but blood?" Tea asked curiously.

_Oh __for __the __love __of __Ra!_ Yugi sighed, "We can, it's just…it's not our natural diet, and depending on how much we eat can sometimes lead to well, a bad reaction…_like __food __intolerance_." Or _food __poisoning_, he wasn't exactly sure which, but they had the same effect.

Tea cringed sympathetically, "That must really, really suck." She couldn't imagine living without having a variety of different foods to choose from, with different flavours.

Yugi just grinned at her, "Nah, it only seems that way when you're alive." In truth, Yugi preferred blood, though that may have just been instinct at work.

She walked over to him slowly, and then knelt down beside him on the couch, getting too close for comfort to him than what he would have liked. _It __was __a __lot __harder __to __hide __a __boner __from __someone __up __close_. "Are…we still going to see him today?"

Yugi nodded once, his breath slightly hitching in his throat. "Yeah, um…we're first going to his apartment to get some of his stuff." If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn Tea knew something and was playfully getting him back for keeping her cooped up indoors all day, by menacingly sticking around just to prolong his agony.

Tea smiled at him excitedly, before turning to glance at the lock with a thoughtful expression. "Um…I should probably take a little nap or something, if we're going to be out late tonight."

If the circumstances were different, Yugi would have deemed a nap highly unnecessary, but if her taking a nap meant that she would be out of the room, there was no way in hell that he was going to stop her. "Yeah, that's a great idea!" he encouraged with an overly cheerful smile. "The longer you can stay up, the longer you'll get to spend with Yami tonight."

Suddenly her expression grew curious, and her lips parted softly, before closing, as though she thought better of what she had wanted to ask him. However, Yugi was born a curious individual, which was probably why Yami inherited the mind reading ability instead, and couldn't help but pry for it. "What?"

"I-it's nothing…" she said, as she slowly rose to her feet again. "I'm going to take a few minutes nap, you can watch some TV, or get some more sleep, if you like."

Yugi nodded in acknowledgement to none of the options in particular, but it was deemed, good enough by Tea, who nodded back before making her way to her bedroom allowing Yugi a brief moment of relief, before finally giving in to a groan of pain that he had up until now been suppressing. How the hell did he get out of this situation? A brief, but crazy thought came to his mind, as Abby's name once again crossed his thoughts. Pay by the hour, _whore_, who had kept him up the night _before_, right next _doo_r, one the same _floor_…

He shook off the idea as crazier than usual, before rolling onto his back and gloomily contemplated his options. The most, easiest and most likely option was to simply sneak off into the bathroom and take care of it himself, but he couldn't help but be tempted by the idea of taking advantage of the next door _service __centre_, even without having ever heard (correction he had heard her pretty loudly last night) - of her, or ever having seen her before…but he assumed she was pretty _anyway_. The only problem was…it didn't feel right, and he had no idea why.

_This never used to be an issue for him in the past. _

While squirming uncomfortably, his eyes travelled to his discarded cellphone that he had placed beside the couch, and found his hand automatically reach down to it, in an almost subconscious way. He touched its screen, which immediately activated it, and was confronted by the bright flashing image of a yellow envelope, _courteously __of __Yami_ that had been sent somewhere soon after the time Yugi had left the house that previous night. It was a simple message, filled with the kind of love and warmth that _any __brother_ would feel from _another __brother_, consisting of only three cute little words that really showed how Yami _really_ felt about his younger twin, showing just how _far_ they had come from their broken and estranged relationship in Egypt… '_You __fucking __bastard_!'

Yugi smiled fondly at the screen, before scrolling down and finding another message, this time from Lamia, _and __was __almost __too __scared __to __open __it_. 'Don't forget our date tomorrow night butt-hole!'

What teenager called anyone a butt-hole anymore? He really had to teach her how to swear properly before she actually started embarrassing him. The third message however, made his eyes widen. He cautiously glanced in Tea's direction, out of habit, already aware that even if she did sneak up on him and catch sight of the message, she wouldn't have been able to read or understand it, or even know who it was from, but he was still cautious non-the-less. He read it over once, and then nodded his head in understanding, before replying back to it, suspiciously glancing over his shoulder to ensure that he was still alone.

When that was over, he decided to send a text message to Yami, informing him that he was bringing Tea over later and asked if he was cool with it…yet somehow Yugi knew that Yami would have had to be literally in death's doorway, practically only holding on by one finger, to reject the idea of seeing his precious girlfriend. He watched as a yellow envelope danced along the screen before disappearing off to the side, and then found his way into his contact list, and then scrolled down until he found a familiar name, smiling at the same time. There was one last thing he had to do on his to-do list, which he had spontaneously thought up during his hours of _audible-agony_ from the night before, to set his plan into motion.

The phone on the other side rang six times before a bubbly and sweetened voice answered on the other side. "Yugi, baby, what can I do for you today sugar?"

Yugi grinned, "You know if you speak to me like that in front of your other customers, they might get jealous."

He heard a cute snicker spill from her lips, before she replied, "Well my favourite client should get to enjoy some special perks don't you think?"

"I thought the only special perk I was given, was having access to your private number?" he smiled amusedly.

"Consider it personal then," he could blatantly hear the smile and wink in her voice.

"Oh we've been down that road before, if I can recall correctly, but really Joy, this is neither the time nor the place for _phone __sex_," he grinned as he heard her begin to laugh hard on the other end, once again enjoying their ongoing private gag that they had flung back at one another in the past. "_I __have __a __favour __to __ask_."

He heard her immediately straighten herself up, but he was sure the smile never left her lips as she got down to business. "Sure honey, just tell me what you need," there was a light southern accent in her voice, which was warm and often almost homey in a relaxing kind of way, the kind that Yugi could never imagine angry.

"Do you think you can make miracles happen?" he asked her.

"Honey, for you, I'll find the dam end of the rainbow and get you a Leprechaun for St. Patrick's day…just tell me what you need."

* * *

When the sun had finally set, Tea had just woken up from her nap and was fetching herself a glass of water from the kitchen, as Yugi poked his head in the doorway. "Hey?"

She turned to him cheerfully, and smiled. "Hey!" she greeted warmly, before setting her glass down. "Should I be getting ready now?"

"Yeah, but there's no rush, I'm just going out to fetch some _uh_…_medicine_, for Yami quickly, okay?"

Tea paused at what she was doing, before turning to him curiously, "Medicine?"

Yugi nodded, "_Blood_ in other words, _best __medicine_ there is for our kind."

Tea's face suddenly went extremely pale with a slight tinge of green to her complexion. "Uh…_oh_…okay."

Yugi chuckled, "Sorry, Yami said I should be a little more…_discrete_ around you, but I sometimes forget myself."

Tea shook her head dismissively, "No, don't be, don't worry either I have to…um, you know, get used to _stuff_ like this…I am after all dating a vampire…_and __friends __with __another __one_."

For some reason, referring to him as a friend, made Yugi do a double take of all that she had said, quite surprised by her words, _but __didn__'__t __voice __it_. She thought of him as…_a __friend_?

However, before he could think of anything else, she absently continued, "Go ahead, don't worry I've memorized all the rules, don't open the door to anyone, don't rub off your weird, and somewhat creepy blood sign, keep the lights off and stay here."

Yugi, still partly stunned, nodded half-heartedly and muttered a 'good' or something like that before making his way to the door. His hand automatically ran up to his black, leather, silver studded choker, making sure that it was still firmly wrapped around his neck, before he walked out the apartment. This whole thing…_just __got __ten __times __harder_.

* * *

(**Warning****…****Pathetic ****male ****and ****car ****bonding ****moment,****alert**!)

Getting blood from the local blood bank was a piece of cake with his unique ability, and he was even able to get the really fresh stuff, still warm in the bag as it was handed over to him with a free storage box that was used for transporting them across the country. He was even able to pick out his own donors, which of course were all 'A' candidates, and ensured that each of them had indulged themselves with candy first, before they gave their blood donations. _The __sweeter, __the __healthier_, he had always said.

He carried the box across the parking lot, passing by a lot of curious onlookers, who didn't quite know what to make of him, before he made his way to _his __own __car_. A car that up until now had been in the protective custody of Jim the mechanic, the local mechanic who had just redone the car's paintwork, tuned up the engine, and put on new tires, and of course had allowed Yugi to keep it in one of his garages for safe keeping…because it wasn't just any car…it was a _Dodge __Challenger_.

When he had bought it, it was a _piece __of __shit __on __four __wheels_, but a frikin rare and sought after piece of shit on four wheels. The owner didn't have a clue about cars, and was just an old widowed woman, who had lost her son in the 9/11 incident, and needed to sell his car in order to afford her heart medication and probably also to move on from grieving. She had offered him a ridiculously low amount for it, but Yugi needed to lighten the load of cash he had on him, so he tripled her offer, but still managed to practically steal it off her.

However, when he rolled it in to the nearest mechanic with only half the engine still functioning, all four wheels flat and worn down, a non-existent exhaust, steering wheel just hanging on by a near thread, tail lights out of commission, passenger door ready to fall off at any second, and the back window completely knocked out…the mechanic, who looked to be in his early twenties, just shook his head and said, "Dude, I don't think that the Pope could put both his hands on the hood and pray for a miracle that would turn this into a car."

Amazingly, money could though, and in just one month, Yugi was driving around in an almost brand new car, which he later, fondly named 'Allison,' or sometimes 'Ally' for short. It was his second, most prized possession in the world, which is why he treated it to a check up and a tune up every three months and of course a weekly bath. However, on his last trip he had realized that the lime green paint had not been the best choice of colour for _her_, and had thus opted for a darker purplish almost burgundy colour this time round.

Her only downfall though…was that she wasn't really all that fast…_yet_.

Yugi popped the trunk and stored the box of blood in it, instinctively tuning in to the sound of approaching footsteps. He shut the trunk closed and peered over to the side, noting the approach of two young men, which were near the same age as him, one brunette and the other blonde, and both looked a little rough.

"Yo man, is that a Challenger?" the blonde asked in an evident Brooklyn accent.

"What does it look like to you, _a __Mustang_?" Yugi retorted with a sarcastic smirk.

"Neat ride man," the brunette commented with wide and impressed, olive coloured eyes that were as round as saucers.

"Thanks," Yugi answered politely as he made his way over to the driver's side.

"Where'd you get it?" the blonde sounded almost jealous, which Yugi couldn't blame him for. Anybody who knew anything about cars knew that the classics were always the better ones.

Yugi used the car's inside ledge-way as a step, so that he could peer over the car at them, and supported his elbow on its top. "At a garage sale," he answered simply. "Bought a scented plush dice with it to hang on the review mirror there too."

The pair laughed amusedly at this and nodded their respect, before waving him off. "Have a good one man, you got an awesome car." The brunette congratulated, before starting off in the opposite, "Come on Joey."

"See ya chump," Joey waved him off, before turning to the brunette. "Man and all I got at Marty's garage sale was that crappy electric guitar with the rusted strings."

Yugi started the engine, and was quite amused when he saw the amazed and awed expressions of the friends' expressions when they heard its powerful roar. Usually he would have felt obligated to show off, by making it spin on its wheels for several minutes, but he didn't have the time, which he realized he was running quite short on. Instead he lurched the car forward at a hasty pace, and sped down the street, turning the corner at an, impressive stuntman sharpness, before driving away out of sight, and making his way back to Tea's apartment with a tight, amused and satisfied grin on his face.

* * *

Yugi parked his car in front of the apartment building and slowly climbed out of it, taking a careful, observant glance around himself, ensuring that Bakura wasn't anywhere near enough to spy on them. However, Tea surprised him by dashing out the large metal doors, fixing a faded blue denim jacket as she hurried towards him, with an excited smile on her face.

"Hey!" he spluttered with wide eyes, "Didn't we agree that you didn't leave the apartment while I wasn't around?"

Tea stopped just a few feet away from him with a wide, rebellious smile on her lips. "You _are_ around."

Yugi sighed, "Cut the wise chirps, are you trying to get me killed?"

"Funny," Tea grinned mercilessly, "I thought vampires were already _dead_."

Yugi smirked at her spunk. "Ha, ha, ha," he laughed sarcastically. "Seriously though, what were you doing outside the apartment?"

"I wasn't," Tea rolled her eyes, feeling as though she were a child being reprimanded, "I saw you come up."

Yugi nodded his head twice before shrugging, and opened the passenger side door for her, which she raised her eyebrows in response to. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I never would have guessed you'd be the _gentleman __type_."

This time it was Yugi's turn to roll his eyes, "Believe me, _I__'__m __not __by __nature_, I mean I'm all for woman equality and totally share in your gender's opinion that you are more than capable of doing things yourselves without any assistance from '_the __man_,' but Yami raised me differently, so I'm guessing he'd be thoroughly pissed if I did not carry out his same mannerisms around his precious _little_ girlfriend."

Tea cocked her head slightly to the side and gave him a soft smile, "Yami raised you?"

"_Uh_…" Yugi looked away and opened the car door further for her, before stepping slightly away from it, holding it at arm's length, wary of meeting her gaze, "Yeah."

Tea slipped into the vehicle with a curious frown as she took in the car's unusual and old-style curves, and was able to detect a distinct strawberry like scent dangling softly in the air among the strong odour of expensive leather, which the seats were covered in. Unlike Yami's car though, Yugi's was incredibly spacious, and almost seemed to flow quite easily from the front seat to the back seat. Yugi quickly jumped in on the driver's side and shut the door, before turning to lock gazes with Tea, and smiled. "What do you think of Ally?"

"Ally? Whose Ally?" she asked, confused.

Yugi raised both his eyebrows, before fondly stroking his steering wheel, "Tea, meet Ally, and Ally meet Tea."

Tea shot him an incredulous look, "You…_named __your __car_?"

Yugi nodded his head, before giving her a partly amused grin, aware of it's seemingly ridiculousness and still able to make fun of himself for it. "Yeah, isn't she a beauty? She's the only woman that actually gets me…isn't that right my adorable Ally-Wally!" he said as he stroked the dashboard vigorously, with softened eyes, while Tea looked at him as though he was crazy.

"Yugi you do realize that you're talking to your car, right?"

Yugi's eyes widened in bewilderment, before he turned to look at his dashboard apologetically and began softening his strokes on the dashboard, "Ssh, honey she didn't mean it."

Tea rolled her eyes and covered her face, "Can we please go now; I feel like a third wheel here!"

Yugi smirked menacingly as he placed the key into the ignition, "Now you know exactly what it's like having to be around you and Yami...ha,ha,ha! Now listen to this." He started up the engine, which roared to life powerfully, startling Tea into attention, before he turned to her expectantly. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," she muttered with a little bit of uncertainty.

"That Tea is the friking orgasm of engines. You are sitting in a 1970 model of one of the most classical types of cars ever to have been manufactured in the world, the awe inspiring Dodge Challenger, if we put Yami's car and my car in a boxing ring, mine would totally reign supreme and kick it's shiny ass," Yugi lectured proudly, before lurching the car forward. "And you can totally get back to Yami on that one."

Tea, whom wasn't in the least bit interested, just smiled and shook her head at him, guessing that Yugi was just like any other normal guy, down at heart. Though she was glad that unlike one of her many exes, such as Chris, Yugi didn't show off with her in the car, putting both their lives at risk, because he thought that it would impress her. In actual fact, Yugi drove rather well and seemed to be closely obeying the traffic laws, which didn't seem to suit his temperament at all. It seemed to her that there was a lot about Yugi that was still left to discover, and one of them evidently seemed to be that he _was __full __of __surprises_.

She suddenly became aware that they were slowing down near an apartment complex just up the street from hers, and remembered that this was where Yami lived, from the time that they had had to drop Yugi off, when he was too wasted to realize what was going on around him. Yugi grinned as he smoothly slid into a parking space, which wasn't exactly marked with painted lines.

"Just to warn you," Yugi continued to grin, as a sudden thought occurred to him, which stopped Tea in her tracks as she returned a nervous, expectant stare in his direction. "Lamia…you know, our new, _sunshine-personality_, that's joined our group, threw a little tantrum a while back, so the place looks…um," Yugi stared ahead of him thoughtfully, wondering how to phrase what the place looked like, as he hadn't forgotten his 'vandalistic' artwork that stretched through most of the apartment's walls, with some…suggestive images, either. "Well, _disorganized_…the kind of surroundings Yami would generally have a regular fit in if he had to spend more than ten minutes in."

Tea raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know that Yami's a neat freak; is he?"

Yugi grimaced slightly in an uncertain way, and nudged his head to the side with a shrug, "Yee-_ah_, no, _not __really_…he likes his space organized and neat, but he doesn't have like a mental meltdown…it's just that…he cannot take clutter in _his __space,_it frustrates him and puts him in a really bitchy mood. We shared a room for sixteen years, and I wasn't exactly as tidy as him, or really cared where my stuff landed up, _and __Ra_…he used to get so damn pissed off with me, and we used to fight about it…_a __lot_, sometimes quite _violently _too, until eventually he painted a long white line across the floor in which one side was mine, and the other was his. So you can imagine what the insane kind of contrast looked like, whenever someone walked in to it."

Tea smiled fondly at the story, both believing the amazing difference each side would have had with the two almost completely different personalities, but also surprised by the fact on how normal the twin's relationship actually was back in those times, and realized that being vampires didn't seem to make much of a difference in their developing stages as any other human sets of twins. "You two used to fight? A lot?"

Yugi grinned as he pushed open his side of the door, "We had our days where we'd hated each other, and got along just about as well as Hitler would have gotten along with a Jew, both stuck in the mid morning traffic…but on most days we were pretty much, uh…_tolerant_ of each other." In other words Tea thought secretly despite herself, on most days they actually got along just fine and adored each other's company.

She climbed out the car with a small smile, and made her way over to Yugi's side, with her hands in her denim pockets. "Who would have been Hitler?" she asked curiously with an amused grin.

"Probably…" Yugi rolled his eyes with a dramatic slowness, seeming to mock the concept of deep thinking, "_Me_…well at least I know that would have been Yami's immediate answer, and he'd probably be right…I was a destructive, instigative little prick with the power to manipulate people, and a sharp tongue that could have sliced iron…"

"Come one, you couldn't have been that bad," Tea said with a roll of her eyes.

"No way…_I __was __way __worse_," he opened the building's front door and held it open for her, making a bowing gesture at her. "After yer me lady."

Tea rolled her eyes and stepped through the doorway, finding the interior somewhat very similar to her own apartment's building. "It's cold in here," she commented, though it was more like an instinctive coldness and not a physical one.

Yugi shrugged, "I wouldn't really know, you okay though? Do you want my jacket?"

Tea automatically found herself glancing at his leather jacket, before shaking her head. "No I'm good, it's not that cold."

The pair walked up the stairway in comfortable silence, both avoiding to look at their strange surroundings and uncomfortable scenarios, such as a half-clothed couple getting hot and heavy as they made their way through one of the apartments. Yugi just briefly flashed them a raised eyebrow, before shaking his head and muttering something unintelligible under his breath, before they eventually came to Yami's front door…well now Yugi guessed it was kind of his and Lamia's front door, but he shook off that thought immediately, sternly reminding himself, that Lamia and he would never share an apartment together, nor would he ever let it be implied.

"Ready yourself," he warned her as he pushed the door open, and gently guided her in, confronted by and awe inspiring sight that left him wide-eyed and immensely surprised.

"Okay…?" Tea asked cautiously as she stepped into the apartment, gazing around it carefully as though she were waiting for something to jump out at her. "Where exactly does the damage start?"

The once vandalised walls now sported a flawless and smoothed crimson surface that hid any evidence of previous damage, and still smelt of fresh paint. Yugi also noted a new, thick black carpet ran up the hallway with a snug and flawless fit, which smelt of lavender carpet cleaner and a slight bit of dampness. "Um…_I __don__'__t __know_," he started uneasily as he began to cautiously walk forward, realizing immediately that the only reason the carpet looked and felt thick, was because it was placed on top of the old one. It seemed as though Lamia had been rather _busy_…

He was in for a bigger shock as he reached the living room, which had been completely redone. The extremely damaged and bloodstained carpet had been removed, leaving behind an exposed, dark wooden floor, which she had only half covered up with a medium sized square rug that took up about half the floor anyway, seeming to contrast it brilliantly with a creamy white colour. Somehow she gotten rid of the damaged furniture, which no longer occupied the dark corner of the room in a discarded heap, and replaced them with a new, but cheap looking white desk and matching chair, as well as recovered Yami's horrifically uncomfortable couch, with a fluffy black fabric that looked very similar to what was used for a baby's blanket. He also noted that the walls had been repainted to a light, tropical blue, which also smelt of fresh paint, and that there were several hanging plants from the ceiling, as well as a pot-planted fern beside the door, which Yugi immediately recognized from having once been standing outside the building. _Lamia_…

"Wow, this is actually quite nicely decorated…I was imagining a CSI crime scene kind of scenario," Tea commented while gazing around the room with curious fascination. "What were you talking about Yugi, I mean if this is what you and Yami called cluttered, I don't want to know what you think of my place."

"Uh no, this is actually the best I've seen this place look…um, I guess Lamia fixed it up _a __little_," Yugi couldn't believe the vast improvement, and wondered where she had found the time to transform it in such a way, or why she had even done it all in the first place, not to mention where she had found the stuff that she had needed to fix it. "Um okay, make yourself comfortable while I go grab some of his stuff." He scratched the back of his head, bewilderedly as he made his way over to Yami's old room, dreading what he would find in there, and wasn't left _disappointed_.

He stifled a gasp for Tea's sake, as he made his way into a room that was once at least boring and bland enough to be neutral ground in a unisex kind of a way…now it was just unfamiliar and pretty much uninviting…at least _towards __men __that __was_. Hot, shocking pink walls confronted him in an almost intimidating kind of way, decorated with two neatly placed posters, one of Titanic and the other with a more, clearer picture of a younger Leonardo DiCaprio. The mattress on the bed seemed to have been completely replaced, though the only bedding that had been changed seemed to have been a light, washed out pink sheet, which Yugi knew about, because the duvet and its inner were missing all together…meaning that she had done something with the blankets. She had left the original carpet alone, but had placed a fluffy, bath mat looking rug beside the bed, and the only other invading and totally unmanly object in the room, was a small carry-friendly teddy bear, with one missing eye, that sat in between the two pillows, with a seemingly unwelcome glare in his glassy eye as he stared at Yugi.

_He __would __never __sleep __in __this __room __again_.

Shaking his head, he moved over to Yami's closet, suddenly afraid to open it, in fear that Lamia may have thrown his stuff out and replaced it with girlie stuff and a thousand pairs of damn shoes that would launch at him like blindly aimed nuclear missals the moment her pulled the wooden door open. He gently coaxed it open, flinching slightly in preparation for an attack, but was surprised when Yami's rich scent warmly wafted out of its closed confinement. Yugi's eyes widened as he saw that Yami's clothes were not only still there, but well organised and neatly placed as well, sort of in the exact way Yami would have occasionally neatened his wardrobe in, in the past.

Yugi glanced towards what had once been the empty side of the closet somewhat expectantly, hoping to see some of his stuff there as well, since it was only his shirts that she had wiped out and destroyed, _but __no __such __luck_…in fact, the only thing that hung from a hanger in there, was small black, zip-on dress…_definitely __not __his._ His stuff, was ironically, packed in a suitcase on the last shelf, with a neatly written note on its surface, kindly requesting that Yugi removed his '_junk_'…

Who exactly did Lamia think she was anyway?

Yugi childishly flung the bag's contents out onto the floor, with an evil chuckle, before untidily stuffing Yami's clothes into it. He figured that when she got home and saw the mess, she'd just throw it out and not bother to keep it for him this time, but Yugi didn't care, the satisfaction of disrupting her well organised life and making it even slightly more difficult, was well worth it. He heard Tea pacing the living room calmly, when she stopped and made a small gasping sound. Yugi became quite alarmed, figuring that perhaps she had seen something like a blood stain, but he heard her heart's normally paced beat, and figured that it couldn't be that serious. "Hi there," she whispered softly in a warm and friendly tone, which confused Yugi.

He stuffed in the last pair of pants, and curiously poked his head out the door, looking in the direction of the living room, where he heard her low voice continue its one sided conversation. "No, no, _don__'__t __run __away_!"

He walked over to the room curiously and was surprised when a fat black, furry cat hurried past him towards the kitchen, and instantly recognized it as one of Yami's strays. Tea met him at the doorway with a slight pout, which she immediately changed to surprise when she almost bumped right into him, and jumped back. "Oh Yugi…sorry I didn't hear you coming."

"Trying to make friends with ole Charcoal over there?" he said through an amused grin as he nudged his head in the retreating cat's direction.

Tea grinned sheepishly, "Is that his name? He doesn't seem to like me much."

Yugi shrugged, and allowed her to pass him, "I'm not sure what his name is, I don't actually think Yami gives them names, just feeds them."

Tea shot him a confused look, before Yugi decided to explain, "They're all neighbourhood strays, but Yami _being __Yami_, feeds them and allows them full reign over his apartment, you know, doing that nice guy _saint_ thing." This earned a smile from Tea this time as she nodded her head with understanding.

Yugi looked in the direction in which the cat had disappeared to, as a thought came to him. "You know what…why don't you go and try to make friends with him, and then we'll take him back to Yami with us, for extended company?" he suggested, with an encouraging smile, and a shrug when Tea shot him a questioning look. "My brother likes cats, so it might cheer him up."

"Yeah, but he didn't seem to trust me all that much earlier…" Tea said with a sheepish grin, "He might just run away again."

"Nah, he won't," Yugi told her confidently and gestured her back to the kitchen, "Cats can sense a good soul from a mile away, he was just a little startled a second ago, so go and try again, I guarantee you that this time he'll come to you when you call him."

Tea looked a little uncertain, but did what Yugi wanted her to do, and made her way quietly into the kitchen, meeting her gaze with the cat's somewhat startled and wary green ones. She slowly knelt down on her hinges and steadied herself by placing both hands on her knees, and smiled softly at the black cat across from her that was cowering from behind a kitchen chair, growling lowly in a whiney tone. "Here kitty, kitty," she called softly.

The cat stared at her suspiciously, before glancing to the side, looking as though it was ready to bolt, when its eyes became almost hazy and blank. Tea frowned at seeing the immediate change, and was surprised when almost instantly the cat was waddling towards her, with its tail high up in the air, and its glassy blank eyes refreshed with a look of excitement and absolute joy, as though he had been her pet for life and hadn't seen her in a long time. He fondly rubbed right up against her, meowing loudly, as though demanding for her attention, which surprised her greatly into action, as she immediately began petting him.

She turned to see Yugi, suddenly looking very much like Yami, while leaning up against the wall and watching them with a distantly satisfied smirk on his handsome face, and arms casually folded over his chest. "See? He likes you."

Tea smiled back at him, somewhat flattered, but still had the nagging feeling that something wasn't right around here. "He's such a sweet cat," she commented as she scratched beneath his chin, finding a certain weak spot that had the cat purring within seconds.

Yugi however, bored with watching the bonding session before him, walked over to one of the kitchen cabinets and began looking for pet food, finding it rather quickly with once again, a completely reorganized cupboard, though he knew for a fact that this was Yami's doing and not Lamia's.

He began picking random flavoured cat food, before glancing around the room to see if he could find their food bowls, and was surprised when he saw one of them, with fresh traces of food lingering on its surface…had Lamia been feeding them?_Or __leading __them __to __their __deaths?_

"What about getting him a litter box?" Tea asked, as she watched Yugi collect several food cans in his arms.

"He doesn't need one," Yugi answered simply. "You'll see what I mean once we get there. Come on, let's get moving."

Tea gently scooped up the cat, making sure that he was firmly secure in her arms and was surprised by how calm and lax he was in her hold, not at all putting up a fight and continued to purr in content. She continued to scratch him behind the ears, wondering how long it would be, before all hell broke loose…which surprisingly didn't happen, until Yugi shut the passenger side door after she climbed in. It was almost as though the cat was suddenly aware of where he was, and jolted in her arms a little fearfully. As Yugi climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine, the cat became uncontrollable and began to pull away from her violently. "Oh crap, Yugi his-"

Yugi turned and glanced at the cat, with a concentrated look in his eyes, and suddenly the cat was completely calm again, even purring in her arms. Tea glanced at him suspiciously, suddenly connecting the dots, and frowned. "What did you just do?"

Yugi's expression softened into a genuine appearing, yet suspected _put-on_ look, of confusion, "What do you mean?"

Tea's frown deepened, "To the cat, what did you just do?"

Yugi shrugged and threw her a look as though she were crazy, "I told it to behave itself…that's all."

Tea was about to tell him to be serious, when she remembered that Yugi had the ability to get into people's minds, and blushed. "_Oh_…sorry, I forgot about that…_thing __you __do_."

Yugi chuckled lowly as he drove the car away from the dodgy part of town and moved more into the elite territory, and immediately choked when Tea asked him an unexpected question. "What's Yami's special ability?"

He coughed, feeling a cold and uncomfortable sweat at the base of his spine. "Uh…_Yami__'__s_ special ability?"

"Yeah," Tea confirmed with a small nod, her gaze settled on the cat, though her attention clearly focussed on what Yugi had to answer. "Does he have one? Is it also like yours? Or is it different?"

"Um…you know, that's actually a funny story, you should ask him about it sometime…perhaps when he's fully recovered," Yugi answered quickly, as he turned a corner.

"Oh…" Tea responded gently with a somewhat thoughtful expression, "Okay then."

'_Good __luck __getting __around __that __one __Yami_,' Yugi thought with a bemused expression, wondering if his brother would lie about it or somehow avoid answering it, after all, how healthy would their relationship be when she knew that Yami was capable of reading her every single private thought? Looked to be like trouble was about to brew in that side of paradise.

Tea glanced out her window and took note of some of the mansions they were passing. "Uh, Yugi…where exactly are we going?"

Yugi smiled mysteriously and spoke without turning to glance at her, "You'll see pretty soon."

Tea groaned exasperatedly, "You are just like Yami, you know that? Everything has to be a secret."

Yugi just smirked without saying anything, which only irritated Tea more. However, she eventually sighed and gave up, as more mansions whizzed passed them, each one bigger than the last, until eventually they passed Shane's house, which was a huge, three storey high, modern building that Tea had only been inside once in her life, for a house party that he was throwing while his parents were on a ski trip in Switzerland. It was so big that Tea remembered getting lost somewhere on the second floor and accidentally ended up walking in on Shane and Serena's 'best friend' in a rather compromising position. Tea also remembered that there were three pools on the property, one on the lawn, the other indoors and heated, and the third was on the second floor balcony that overlooked the ocean, which boggled her mind. Surely one pool was enough?

Thinking about Shane gave her the shivers; as she remembered what a creep he could be, and briefly wondered what she had ever seen in him. She remembered that the first time he had cornered her into sex, was by taking her out on a supposed expensive 'date,' where he lavished her with a ridiculously priced meal at a fancy restaurant, then drove her around in a limo to see the city at night, taking her to a movie, and then bought her an overpriced sweater at an equally, ridiculously priced boutique…and in the end used it all against her. After all, how could she turn down the one thing he wanted when he had easily paid a small fortune on her that could have easily fed six starving kids in Africa for the whole month? Of course, the next day, the whole school knew about what a 'slut' she was, and the guys all knew her as 'easy meat,' and pretty soon after that, every guy she knew, with the exception of a small few, made passes at her, while Shane pretended not to even know that she existed. Apparently it wasn't even a date at all, but in fact a test in which the kids at school had made bets on how easy it would be to get into her pants.

_And __yet __somehow_, although angry with him for telling everybody…and most importantly for not defending her, Tea had held on to her crush on him, right through high school, until their graduation year, when he came right up to her with a bunch of his up-class _lowlife_ friends, and offered to pay her a thousand bucks to do each of them in the back room of his house during a house party he was hosting…including tips if _she __was __good_. She remembered how angry and disgusted she felt at the suggestion and turned her back to him, not trusting herself to say or _do __anything_, and ultimately just wanted to get away from him, when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the circle they had formed around her. "Unless of course, you just want to do it for the _experience_?" he asked her in a low, mocking voice, before letting her go, and laughed along, with his friends.

Tea would never forget that day, and she hated herself for reliving it now. The kids at school hated her, and they were never discrete about it either. Girls in general tortured her the most, by writing words like 'slut' and 'whore' on her locker, some of them used to put up flyers at a downtown pay phone, advertising her as a call-girl, Serena once even gave her a full bottle of strong sleeping pills and told her to down them all while she was still young and would look good in her coffin. The guys weren't all that much discrete either, which was probably the worse, because their name calling actually killed her self esteem. Somehow it's always different when social rejection, comes from the opposite sex, and it was so much worse when all you were ever known to them as, during your whole high school career…was _the __Domino __Whore_.

Tea was shocked when she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears, and knew that her glassy eyed appearance would soon gain Yugi's attention, something that she definitely didn't want nor need from him at this time. The cat however, seemed to sense her heartache, and gave her a wise, almost ancient, knowing look from her lap, before nudging his head into her hand and purred comfortingly. It was the kind of affection that almost made her cry more, because it also reminded her of that absence in her life, which made her seek the attention of those around her, despite knowing how much it was actually harming her. She had never had someone protect her from anything, no one to hold her and whisper that things would be alright, or that could be anything that she wanted. She had never had support or encouragement to do the things she wanted, or to make something of herself, despite her dodgy background. She had always been alone…and was always made to feel absolutely abandoned.

Yugi of course, was no idiot, nor naïve. He sensed her sadness before he heard her swallow the heavy lump in her throat and the laboured panted breaths that escaped her lips, but he also knew that the minute she turned her gaze to look back outside the passenger's window that she didn't want him to know about it, which was also a clear indication that she didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't that he was insensitive when he decided to let her sit and suffer in silence - because as surprising as it was even to him, when he felt the overwhelming sense of protectiveness and concern for the girl beside him - he knew that his comforting efforts would not be nearly as effective as Yami's would be…and Yami would not miss it, even if he didn't have mind-reading powers.

He allowed the rest of the way there to be in remarkable silence, allowing her to get her thoughts in order, and perhaps emotionally-mend herself before she got a chance to see the '_love __of __her __life_,' who would hopefully _fix_ whatever was hurting her. However, when he parked in front of the large and golden electric gate, he heard a startled gasp escape from Tea's lips. "Y-Yugi…what are we doing here?"

Yugi chuckled under his breath as he pressed a button on his key chain that automatically opened the gates. "I don't know Tea…_seeing __if __the __gates __work, _maybe?" he answered sarcastically before driving through, and pressing another button which made the gates shut behind them again.

Tea glanced around her, with somewhat amazement and horror as she took in her surroundings. This wasn't just any house; this was The Light House, the third most expensive property in Domino City. She knew this, because Serena had often made it known that it would one day be hers the moment its present owner, who was a rich foreigner from either Canada or Australia, she didn't know which, sold it, which of course was supposed to make everyone envious, because of its amazing view and private strip of beach that was off limits to the public. They drove up a long gravelled road that passed large strips of lush green lawn, and passed by an enormous Greek styled fountain that flowed beautifully in the moonlight, creating a lively sense of an unseen mystical world.

"The salt in the sea air manipulates our scents out here," Yugi explained as he slowed the car into a crawl passed the fountain after noticing Tea silently marvelling at it from afar, which allowed her to get a better and longer look at it. "So if Yami needs to get some fresh air he can do so without having to worry about being discovered."

"Oh, I see," Tea whispered in response, still taking in all her surroundings with curious fascination and awe. "But…what about using that symbol thing that you used on my place, wouldn't that help as well?"

"Place is too big, to be totally shielded…_I__'__m __not __that __powerful __you __know_." He drove straight into the carport and hurried straight over to her side in order to open her door for her, giving her a small, charming smile and bow, as she climbed out the vehicle, holding the unnaturally calm cat securely against her chest. He led the way up the glassy steps to the door that went into the house and unlocked it, glancing back at her to make sure that she was still okay, before noisily entering into the house, with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Yo ho! Yami, we're he'eee'r!" he said in a high pitched, radio alien-like voice, before chuckling amusedly, seeming to hear something that she couldn't.

* * *

The day had started out pretty much as gloomy as his mood, despite the seeming blue clarity of the sky and toasty warmth of the sun. Yami could instinctively sense the sinister swirl of something heading their way, though he was not exactly sure of what it was, _only __that __it __made __him __uncomfortable_. On the bright side, he could at least move around again, having most of his chest healed from the inside at least, but still felt bruised and quite frankly, _beaten __up_. The best part was that he no longer felt nauseas, which was his personal killer and pet hate, allowing him to eat something solid once again, which came as quite a welcomed relief.

Did he feel better enough though? _Not __really_. It had always amazed him that although the worst of injuries could heal, it was always the smaller ones that took the longest to disappear and recover from, such as muscle ache and fatigue. No matter how much blood he downed, he still felt pretty weak and ultimately _sick_, most probably because whatever damage was left simply had to recover in its own _human __way_…but how long was it going to take?

He was busy sulking about it, when he heard his phone vibrate from beside him, _a __gift __from __Yugi_. He had a suspicious feeling that it was a belated retort to the message he had sent him the previous night, and was somewhat tempted to ignore it, not really inspired with any brand new chirps to challenge him with…but he had to make sure, just in case it was something about Tea.

Now, as he lay thinking about her, with a slight headache that was more, uncomfortable than really painful, Yami tried to be in a more positive mood…but the moment he heard Yugi's irritating voice, he found himself growling under his breath as a few Egyptian curse words involuntarily left his lips.

"Whoa, this place is…_it__'__s_…" he heard Tea's soft, low voice speak from down below, sounding extremely surprised and awed. He heard Yugi chuckle lowly at her in response, before casually climbing up the stairs that led to the second floor, seeming to be more respectfully quiet in her presence than what he was the previous day when he came alone, which was a good thing, Yami supposed, though he couldn't help muttering '_two_ _faced, __little __bastard_,' under his breath.

"It's incredible right?" Yugi commented lowly, before ascending further up the stairs. "You should see the view from Yami's room." Yami heard two sets of different footsteps make their way up the stairs, getting closer, and glanced at the door expectantly as the pair slowly walked in.

His dark, ruby red eyes immediately met with Tea's crystal azure ones that were tearing up dangerously fast, and smiled reassuringly at her. "Hey _Beautiful_," he said in a low husky voice, which seemed to draw her right of her trance as she dashed forward toward the bed, releasing the lively, moving bundle in her arms, and hastily, though somewhat as carefully she could, wrapped her arms around him.

"Yami, oh Yami, you're okay, you're alive!" she choked, seeming to try and hold back a sob from escaping her. "I was so worried, I'm so sorry." She kissed his forehead first, before hurriedly claiming his lips in a bittersweet kiss, and the briefly pulled away to squeeze him into a lovers embrace, never wanting to let go of him ever again.

Yami, not at all minding the close contact, wrapped his arms tightly around her, and kissed her exposed neck. "Ra, I've missed you, are you alright? You weren't hurt were you? I've been worried…"

Tea pulled back to give him an incredulous look, "You've been worried about me, when you're the one that was shot and almost killed?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Yugi muttered sarcastically, as he folded his arms and leant back against the doorframe. However, his words seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the pair seemed to be totally unaware of anything else, but each other.

Yami smiled up at her, before lovingly stroking the side of her face, to which she automatically leaned into. They seemed to exchange a silent conversation with their locked gazes before Yami leant in to catch her lips with his, pulling her closer to his body and deepening the kiss, with his hands roaming up her sides to the small of her back.

"Uh-hum!" Yugi coughed loudly, before making a series of gagging splutters. "Pardon me my dearest brother, but I came to visit you too you know!" Yugi whined from his from his corner, with a very unimpressed look on his face.

Yami paused in their kiss, and sighed softly as he reluctantly pulled away from Tea, though still held her close, while turning his gaze to Yugi's with an equally unimpressed and disgruntled look. "Hi…_dearest_ brother," he greeted without affection, seeming to mentally add a '_you__can__leave__now_' with his gaze.

"Hey," Yugi grinned, seeming to catch on to the 'game' now, nodding his head with satisfaction. "How are you?"

Yami raised an eyebrow, and felt Tea's body tremble slightly in his arms while she chuckled under her breath. "Much better, thanks." A dark, shadowy movement in the corner of his eye, caught his attention, and he whipped his gaze over to where a furry black _mass_ sat cleaning itself beside him. "What the…?"

"Oh!" Tea remarked with a slight blush, as she reached over and gently stroked the cat's head. "Yugi thought you could use some company when we're not around, so we brought you a _little __present_."

Yami smiled fondly at the cat, and soon joined Tea, in adorning him with affection by stroking his back. "Thanks…though I'm immensely surprised Yugi is actually capable _of __thought __at __all_…"

"And the said - '_incapable __individual_'' - is surprised that the -_'__surprised__'__-_ is taking cheap shots like that, when he knows that the - said 'individual' - has got a lot of _dirt_ on him that he most certainly wouldn't want a certain _girlfriend_ to know about…_oh_ now he's paying attention _isn__'__t __he_, mwah-ha-ha-haaa…" Yugi smirked, while throwing Tea a mischievous wink.

"Don't you have anywhere you need to be, and like go to, right now? A gay bar maybe, the local dump, prison…maybe hell?" Yami muttered irritably.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Fine, let me go get you're shit first, and then I'll leave…but I'll be back _because _I _always_-"

"_Come __back_, yeah I know, now go!" Yami finished for him, before grinning amusedly as Yugi flipped him off and disappeared out the door. He turned back to Tea, and quickly kissed her again. She sighed in contempt and tightened her grip on him, before gently pulling back and looking him over.

"Are you still hurt?" she said lowly, her eyes trained directly on the centre of Yami's chest.

He breathed in deeply, before answering. "Not nearly as badly as what I was."

She hesitantly reached out her hand to the centre of his chest, stopping herself just short of where the wound had been. Yami didn't flinch or pull away from her, trusting her completely. However, when she began to pull her hand away, he quickly reached up and caught it, before gently guiding her to where his heart was, until he felt the light pressure of her hand against it. "It's almost healed," he confirmed, holding back a slightly uncomfortable grimace.

"C-can I…_see __it_?" she asked quietly, her eyes still trained on the spot.

Because Yami's old shirt had been severely damaged and ripped to shreds in the shooting, he had randomly picked an oversized one from one of the closets in the house, which hung loosely around his frame in a, rich silky cotton that was gentle against his skin. He nodded his head slowly and began to take off his shirt in a natural, almost painless motion, with only a few, slight jerks to indicate any sign of difficulty. He heard her gasp in amazement when he finally pulled free of its fabric hold on him, and turned toward her with a small smile as she examined the evidence of his ordeal with wide and surprised eyes.

"I-is that really it?" she asked in a voice that was just short of a whisper, as only a coin-sized, cherry red bruise remained, surrounding an almost completely faded scar that was only slightly raised above the skin. Neither looked overall threatening…

Yami nodded, "Yeah, it healed fast. It's just a little sensitive now that's all. All I need time for now is for my strength to return and probably for my muscles to stop aching." He rolled his eyes comically and shook his head, as though to mock the fact that he was so used to been almost killed by now that it was more of an inconvenience than anything else, but a small gulp from Tea, brought his attention back to her immediately. "Tea?"

"I-I'm sorry Yami…it was my fault-"

"No!" Yami shook his head furiously with a concerned frown. "_This_," he said in a stern tone, while gesturing to his formally wounded chest, "Was not your fault. This was actually _my __fault_, because I should have been paying better attention to what was going on around us."

Tea shook her head disbelievingly, "I'm the one James wanted dead."

Yami frowned at her, before lowly growling in a dangerous voice, "Yugi told you about that?"

Tea nodded her head, but alarmingly held up her hands to calm him down, "I cornered him into it, it wasn't his fault…don't be mad at him."

"_Yeah __don__'__t __be __mad __at __me_!" they both heard Yugi's voice, sounding lightly amused, call from downstairs, and despite her turmoil Tea found herself grinning at him.

"He's been taking really good care of me," she informed Yami in Yugi's defence, hoping that that at least would settle his mind.

Yami looked at her suspiciously, before nodding his head. "Well I guess…that's _good __to __know_."

"_Okay__…__I__'__m __leaving __now!__"_ Yugi informed them from down below. "_I__'__ll __be __back __later.__" _

"Bye Yugi!" Tea called back, with a small smile, as she heard him make his way towards the door.

"Yeah, what she said," Yami mumbled back lowly, before giving her a wink, as they both heard the front door shut behind the young vampire, and immediately their worlds were centred on each other again, where nothing else mattered in the world.

The cat caught both their attentions when it let out a loud meow and jumped off the bed, before disappearing out the room. Both watched and smiled, before turning to smile at each other, and suddenly Yami became highly aware of something else. "Have you've been crying...?"

Tea looked at him startled, before shaking her head. "N-no, I was just…happy to see you, that's all."

He stroked an area on her cheek with his index finger, gently trailing it along a dried tear stain. "Tea…" Yami said softly, with a knowing gaze. "You can tell me anything…_what__'__s __wrong_?"

Tea smiled sadly, suddenly feeling as though she was going to start crying all over again, and looked away, embarrassed, taking note of the huge glass window that made up most of Yami's bedroom wall, and agreed with Yugi on the amazing view from his room. She watched the dark blue waves tower over each other, before crashing into one another, as she wondered where exactly she should even begin, before shaking her head. "No, no way, from now on the only thing you should be worrying about is getting better, not me and my totally unimportant problems." She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but the moment her gaze met with his stern, unconvinced one, she knew he saw right through her act. "It's nothing Yami…"

He gently cupped her side cheek once again, and shook his head, before giving her a small smile. "You know that I'm not going to let it go…"

She grinned in his hold, before laughing softly as a single tear dribbled from the corners of her eyes.

He gently tugged her down with him as he lay back, so that she was half lying over him, all the while holding her gaze with a softened and concerned one, "There…now tell me everything."

Tea rested her head against the side of his chest, and breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm herself down, when she felt him softly stroke the back of her head in a soothing motion. "I-it's stupid…" she whispered huskily, her throat aching in the way it always did when she felt like crying.

Yami continued to run his fingers along the brunette strands of her hair, breathing lightly as he listened to her. "Not to me it isn't," he whispered lovingly, as he wrapped his free arm half way across her waist, making her feel more, secure and protected in his embrace.

Tea felt her tears shed more freely now, and buried her face against his bare chest, sobbing quietly under her breath as memories of her whole high school career came flooding back to her, and without a single coherent thought to stop her, she began pouring her heart and soul out to an ever eager, listening Yami, whose mouth had hung open in absolute horror at what he was hearing. She told him about how Serena had victimised her, by sometimes buying cheap thongs with really cheap and trashy brand names, and stapling it to the notice bored with an ad informing the school that Tea was back in 'business' if anyone was interested, or how she had sometimes opened her locker to have an avalanche of condoms fall out on her. She also told him about how Shane had treated her, including both the kind of 'date' and the business proposition he had for her…and all Yami could think of, _was __thank __Ra_, he hadn't known all about it the day he actually met Shane.

By the time she had finished her sad sob story, Yami was holding her firmly in his strong arms, as he allowed her to cry it all out on his shoulder, never letting her go for a second, while he inwardly fumed inside. When her sobbing had finally subsided, she pulled away and rubbed her eyes dry. "I'm sorry; I didn't want to put all that on you."

"Tea…" Yami whispered, as he adjusted himself slightly, trying to mask the pain he felt from it. "You're too hard on yourself, I'm fine, and it's my job to make sure that whatever is hurting you _stops_."

Tea laughed without humour and shook her head sadly, "No its not, your job right now should be to get better, mine was supposed to be trying to make you feel better, _not __worse_."

Yami smirked, before shaking his head, "Do I look _worse_ to you?"

She observed him closely, before reluctantly shaking her head, "That's not-" He stopped her by taking both her hands in his and made her look in his eyes.

"I'll never be okay, if you're not okay…understood? And if it's not my job to protect you, then what exactly is my job?" His voice held an evident trace of amusement in it, and Tea couldn't help but grin. "Just to stand around and look good?"

Tea shook her head, "No…stand and look hot – definitely - but if you want a job _specification_…" She gave him an evil smirk, before lightly pecking him on the lips, while gently trailing her finger tips along his toned chest. "I can think of a few other, really _good __uses __for __you_." Their lips locked violently and hungrily in a passionate kiss, and Tea felt her body heat up with a desiring fire that was threatening to consume her sanity if she allowed herself to fall any further into this passionate trap.

Yami pulled away from her slowly, also struggling for control over his own lust, and held her gaze with his, the pair silently exchanging another mental conversation, each mentally stating that they would forget about what had been discussed earlier and just celebrate being back in each other's arms tonight…

(**Lemon ****Warning! ****Not ****for ****young ****untainted ****minds****;-**)

Tea got up slowly and straddled his lap, before running her hands up his bare, muscular arms, towards his shoulders and then gently placed them on the sides of his neck, before leaning down to kiss him, which automatically made her lower body down onto him, and was surprised when she felt his hardness nudge her. Yami however, stifled her small gasp of surprise when he pulled her further into him, briefly forgetting about his sensitive injury, and crushed their bodies together a little more forcefully than he had intended. He choked slightly and unintentionally jolted away from her, before glancing back at her apologetically. "Sorry, I momentarily forgot myself there."

Tea looked at him a little uncertainly. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you're still hurt…"

Yami raised an eyebrow and looked at her as though she had just asked him a really ridiculous question, to which she smiled and rolled her eyes at, "Right…stupid question." She gently grabbed hold of his hands and guided them up her chest, making sure that Yami could feel every bit of her from her toned stomach right up to her perky nubs, before throwing her head back and moaning loudly. Yami growled slightly, as his lower region demanded attention, and he leant in to kiss her neck hungrily.

Tea released his hands, giving him once again full ownership of them, which he used to his advantage as he slipped them beneath her shirt, relishing the feeling of her soft silky skin beneath his finger tips. His touch was like fire dancing against her skin, burning patterns of electrifying desire within her, which only heightened her pleasurable sensitivity.

She had her eyes closed, but she could still feel Yami's intense, heated stare on her form, devouring her very being with its fire, as she felt her shirt been tugged up her body. She lifted her arms to help him get rid of it, before she felt her whole top half been engulfed in a fiery warmth as he protectively embraced her, though this time more gently than the last. She felt her exposed skin press up against his hard, muscled torso's, and relinquished in the arousal that spiked through her whole being, at the powerful sensation it gave her. She briefly remembered what Yugi had told her about half vampires being born with more muscles, and felt her way around him, picking out the additional sets with curious fascination, touching him in every place possible. Yami moaned lightly as she massaged a particular spot on his side, before trembling slightly.

"Ra…you have no idea…_what __you __do __to __me_," he whispered in between pants, using one of the most alluring tones she had ever heard him speak in.

Smiling, Tea grinded herself against him, and loved the way he growled and struggled for control over himself. _Not __for __long_ _though_…she could see desire and lust burn brightly in his dark crimson eyes, and knew it wouldn't be long before he'd grow tired of the foreplay…after all, she'd _come __to __know_ Yami quite well in bed. She smiled up at him seductively, before trailing her hands down to his hardened crotch, and with a little more force than all her other gentle strokes, rubbed it.

Yami gasped, and then groaned, feeling tiny ripples of unsatisfied pleasure darting from his swollen member into the pit of his stomach, where it all seemed to centre, like some kind of orgasmic command-centre. He then felt the pressure of her hand leave him, before hearing and feeling the gentle tug of his zipper being pulled down, and dared to open his eyes, only to marvel at the beauty that the gods had blessed the world with that made up his beloved Tea, who was propped up on top of him, semi naked and as dominating as a Greek goddess was to a mortal. _He __could __get __used __to __that_…

She slipped her hand into the opening that she had created, and stroked his member eagerly, especially paying attention to the head, while she used her free hand to gently coaxed the rest of his pants downward, enjoying every sound Yami made. Once he was somewhat freer from his conservative constraints, she took him into both her hands and began pumping him, rocking her body in time with the rhythmic pace she was setting, while Yami squirmed beneath her, panting loudly. However, before he could reach his limit, Tea released her hold, and grinned at his flushed face that was strained into a mixture of pleasure, frustration and pain.

He slowly opened his eyes, and raised an eyebrow questioningly at the almost sadistic look in her eyes, before she leant down and gently flicked her tongue along his member's head, causing him to gulp and stiffen in response to. "T-Tea…I can't h-hold back much longer," he silently pleaded with her, to which she nodded and flashed him a warm, understanding smile in response to, before carefully rolling off, onto the side of him, and squirmed slightly into the sheets, making herself deliciously available for any craving he had.

Yami was a little unsure about it as first, fully aware that his injury was still in a fragile state, and that some rough activity like what they were most likely about to do, put him at risk of reopening those wounds, particularly the damage to his breast plate. However what he wanted to do, and what he knew _he __shouldn__'__t __do_, kept very little company in his hormone crazed mind. He leant down slowly, careful to balance his body well without putting on too much strain, as he gently touched his lips to hers, delighting in the fresh strawberry taste of her lips. Tea's hands roamed down the sides of his body and made their way to his back, darting expertly over his toned back muscles that felt powerful and godly beneath her touch. In the back of her mind, Tea felt a deep sense of comfort in being held by someone so powerful _loving_ the body, in which he so heroically jumped to defend, in such a way that it made her feel so fulfilled and complete.

Yami risked losing the support of one arm, in an attempt to begin 'helping' her out of her skirt. "Mmm," Tea mumbled into the kiss, and pulled back slightly, stopping him immediately. "Let me rather," she winked at him, before skilfully slipping out her skirt and panties, without hardly moving a muscle and using her legs mostly to do the hard work for her, before capturing his lips again in another passionate and heated kiss.

Yami then lifted her up slightly against him, before slipping a hand behind her and unhooking her bra that had been silently taunting him since the beginning, and flung it over to the side where the rest of their clothes had ended up. She moaned in gratification at being freed, and Yami took the opportunity to jerkily position himself at her entrance, growling lowly as his arousal spiked harder through his system. Tea pulled back to look at him, and smiled before nodding her consent, her eyes telling him that she was more than ready for him.

He slid into her easily, and growled at the immense pleasure that consumed both him and Tea at the same time. She groaned into the crook of his shoulder, and gasped loudly as stretched further into her, until finally hitting her core. Her body adjusted to him quickly, though her walls were still unusually tight, and _oh-so-damn-__good_ that there was really no other feeling like it. He thrust in and out of her, slowly at first, but then began to quicken and thrust harder, much to Tea's absolute delight

She clawed her way down from his back, groaning and moaning, before panting in time with his rapid thrusts, whispering his name in a husky voice, and experienced several electrifying sparks of pleasure all on their own, whenever he moaned her name back. She felt his grip around her waist tighten, and his hands explore her skin as they ran up and down her sides, before tugging her into him, immediately colliding with her sweet spot that had her calling out his name loudly and gripping at the sheets, unable to figure out what to do with herself.

Yami thrust once again into the same spot, and earned the same gratifying reaction he had wanted from her, and did it once more. She began chanting his name in a desirable low voice, which turned him on even more, if possible, and he instantly began attacking her neck with needy and hungry kisses, suddenly aware of a dangerous urge that forced him away from her neck immediately. He had never felt a more powerful instinct to bite into a human's flesh, as he did so now, and had to fight desperately for control, as his thrusts became harder and his concentration became dimmer. He heard Tea's hitched breath and knew she was just as close as he was, and breathed in deeply as their muscles tensed in a stone like way, before a floodgate seemed to open within them and the most incredible sensation either of them had ever felt before, totally engulfed them.

They both held onto each other tightly, as they rode out their pleasure, unable to think or speak, as each were blinded by the sun burst stars that plagued their vision, until eventually the white haziness lifted, and their eyes met. Yami had never seen a more beautiful pair of azure orbs before in his whole existence, as Tea had never seen a jewel that sparkled as brightly as Yami's ruby ones. However, despite anything they had ever thought or said to each other before, they both knew at that moment, when they looked into each others eyes…they were completely and erratically in love with one another…

* * *

(**Okay ****kiddies, ****it****'****s ****uh****…**_**safer **_**to ****read ****again**!)

Yugi made his way passed several piles of wooden crates, stacked on top of each other dangerously, with suspicious dark and wet seeming patches on the wooden surfaces that smelt musty, and overall like rot. He paused for a minute to curiously stare at them, always having wondered on exactly what the crates along the docks contained within them. He was almost tempted to punch a hole in one of them and take a small peek at what was inside when Lamia's voice called out eerily through the fog. "Bout time you jerk!"

Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes, "Actually Lamia, the Standard English for your little chirp is, it's about time you jerk."

Something black and unidentifiable flew out of the white curtain of mist, directly at him, which he casually dodged by shifting his head out the line of fire, and heard it thud lightly on the ground behind him, as he slowly walked towards her. "So, what do you want to learn first huh_, __anger __management __perhaps_?"

Lamia's blurry form stood tensely in a straight line, and Yugi could hear her foot's impatient tapping as he neared her. He was suddenly taken aback at how ghostly she appeared, with her pale, washed out skin, and long white hair that drifted in a light breeze, as well as her unnatural and dark seductive beauty that all female vampires naturally contained. "Did you have to _exist_?" she asked rhetorically, as she unfolded her crossed arms and brought both hands up to the back of her head, grabbing her hair up into a bundle so that she could tie it up into a high ponytail.

"_Did __you_?" Yugi retorted as he rolled his eyes, and began pacing his way to the wooden platform that she was standing on, taking a seat on a square wooden crate and looked out over the dark black, ocean water that was softly stirring in the low tide. All was rather peaceful at this time of the day, or early morning in technical terms, with no one in sight, except them. Every now and then there would be the stiff creak of an old boat slanting to its side, or a soft splashing from somewhere out in the water, as well as the harmonious chirping from the many thousands of crickets that surrounded them.

"It's nice out here," Lamia commented softly, mimicking his exact thoughts, as she finished fixing her hair, "Peaceful."

"Yeah, do you feel a little bit out of place?" Yugi couldn't help but add, as he rose to his feet. "Kind of like a camel wondering around the North Pole?"

Lamia shot him a hostile glare, "No, I was just trying to have a civilised conversation with you, but I forgot I was dealing with twelve-year-old. It must really suck not to have a brain."

Yugi grinned, "Nah, it gives me extra space to store things like _chips_ and porn."

Lamia smiled, before looking him over, "How old actually, are you? Thirteen?"

Yugi frowned, "No damn it, I'm nineteen!"

Lamia raised an eyebrow, "You are really short for a nineteen year old…"

"First off, I would have been exactly the same height as Yami if I had of turned later in life, and second, I'm short because I have a direct linage from my Ancient Egyptian ancestors, who were incredibly short. Thirdly, I make up for height in other ways…_and __that__'__s __all __you __need __to __know_," Yugi stated defensively, before stepping off the edge of the platform and landing on the one below it. "Now do you want to learn something or not?"

Lamia shook her head and rolled her eyes at the same time, "Fine, whatever, but just so you know, you totally contradicted yourself there…but let's get down to business, I don't want to spend my whole evening with you."

Yugi rubbed his temples, before giving her a serious look, "Okay, _listen_…until we're actually done with these nightly sessions, we're going to have to pretend to _like _each other…or at least _tolerate_ one another. When they're over, we can go right back to hating and ignoring each other, how does that sound?"

Lamia nodded her head, "Sounds perfect…now why don't you just shut up and start teaching me something…_darling_?"

Yugi cringed at the sweetness of her voice, before nodding back at her uncomfortably. "Okay _honey-pot_," he mocked before straightening out his posture, "Let's see you run along the river."

Lamia widened her eyes in confusion, "Run along the river?"

Yugi nodded his head, "Yeah, along the surface…go on. I need to see what you are capable of first before I can teach you anything."

Lamia shook her head violently, "N-no way…_that__'__s __impossible_!"

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Lamia, you can run almost faster than light. The speed will prevent your weight from sinking into the water, so run!"

Lamia backed away from him, almost as though she expected him to throw her into the water. "I-I can't."

Yugi growled impatiently, "What the hell are you afraid of?"

"I-I can't swim…" She whimpered softly.

Yugi stared at her in amazement, "You can't what?" He wasn't sure if he had heard right, having previously believed that all those above the age of ten automatically knew how to swim.

Embarrassed, Lamia looked away from him with, "I don't know how to swim…and I'm afraid of water."

"You're kidding me right?" Yugi couldn't believe this.

"Why would I joke about something like that?" Lamia growled defensively.

Yugi scratched the back of his head, trying to shake off his shock, "And what are you afraid of what exactly? That you'll drown _and __die_?"

"Just shut up Yugi!" Lamia growled, before biting her lip irritably.

"Fine…we'll skip that lesson for today. How well can you use your senses? Can you hear conversations clearly from the beach next door, or just inaudible fragments of it?"

Lamia had folded her arms around her chest protectively and was rubbing her leather clad arms in slow motions, _comforting __herself_, rather than pretending to keep herself warm. She cocked her head to the side slightly, and listened, before turning back to Yugi, and shrugged. "I only hear muffling."

Yugi looked at her for a second, before nodding in understanding, "Okay, try to listen to the west side now, and tell me what you can hear from one of those houses." The houses were much closer than the beach, and it shouldn't have been too much of a problem for Lamia to listen in to one of the human's snoring.

"I can't really…tell." She struggled and strained her hearing in that direction, but eventually gave up with a frustrated sigh. "I don't understand I'm usually able to hear perfectly!"

"It's because you're at the ocean now, and there are a lot more distractions and audible complications, plus you're not concentrating hard enough. I want you to listen to the same house, but this time I want you to relax your mind and block everything else out, shut off all your other senses, and maybe close your eyes too." Yugi instructed expertly.

Lamia did as she was told, but was still unable to block out the sound of crashing waves in the distance. "I can't block out the waves."

"I'm starting to wonder how you ever managed to find me, if you're still battling with the basics," Yugi commented dryly, which earned him a cold and defensive glare from her.

"I just told you, I don't usually have a problem; it's only…sometimes." she looked away from him a little uncomfortably, and attempted to try again, but failed miserably in the task.

Yugi finally figured her out and gave her a small nod, "And let me guess, the only time you struggle is when you're fully in control of yourself?"

Lamia shot him a look, which Yugi took as a sign of confirmation and nodded again, "You can do it, just concentrate and try again, harder this time," Yugi responded apathetically. "You've been able to do it before, and you'll be able to do it now."

"I can't, the waves are too loud!" she growled through clenched teeth.

"So is your voice, but I've had to work around it."

"I hate you!" she spat, trying to strain her hearing further.

"Now, now, we're supposed to be getting along, remember? Use all that '_love_' you're feeling towards me right now to focus all your background attention on."

"Will you just shut up!" she barked commandingly, before closing her eyes yet again, and reattempted to concentrate without having to hear Yugi's annoying voice in the background. However, she took his advice, and focused her wondering attention on her feelings of annoyance towards his cockiness and moronic sense of humour that grated on her every nerve, while straining her hearing to the second floor bedroom of a nearby house, soon discovering that it was someone breathing heavily as they drifted into sleep. "I got it! It's someone breathing!" she called out excitedly. "_Wow_…it's so clear!"

"There you see, it's not that hard, and eventually the whole 'hour' of concentration thing will become like second nature to you, so it won't take _nearly __as __long_." Yugi smirked, before looking her over. "Hey, where'd you get the jacket?"

She was wearing the same jacket she had taken from the thug that had attacked her the night before. "Someone _gave_ it to me last night…it's cool huh?"

"Yeah, it's a bit big for you though, don't you think?" he commented moronically.

"There's nothing wrong with it, just leave it alone!" Lamia growled warningly and held the jacket closer to her in an almost defensive manner.

"Okay, fine, I won't comment on it anymore!" Yugi said with his hands held up in surrender. "I didn't know you liked leather though."

"Leather's nice…it's much stronger than fabric and lasts longer."

"Yeah…looks quite good on you too," Yugi said with a small nod, before glancing over to the side when he saw something black dart passed one of the crates.

"Really?" she said in a low, almost shy sounding voice.

"Yeah, the contrast is pretty cool too; you'd make an awesome heavy rocker chick with a few cool accessories," he said without looking at her, as his gaze followed the scampering trail of an unusually large, black rat. _Eek!__Rat! _He cringed away slightly, with narrowed and wary eyes, hoping that it wouldn't spontaneously change direction and start coming right at them…

"Like a Three Days Grace groupie?"

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise and he risked losing sight of the rat to turn his gaze towards her, "You know Three Days Grace?"

Lamia nodded her head, "I'd love to see them live the atmosphere must be amazing!"

"Are you a fan of heavy rock?" Yugi asked her, with a slight trace of wariness in his tone, treating her like somewhat of a spy.

"Rock in general, what about you?" she answered easily, while wiping away a few rebel bangs from her eyes.

"Yeah…it inspired me to become a guitarist."

"Oh really, you play?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, for six years now, I used to sit on top of the sphinx and practice sometimes. What about you do you play anything?"

Lamia's eyes glazed over with a dark and haunted expression, as she seemed to travel back in her memories, which Yugi somewhat sensed were far from the happy ones that most people had. "Y-yeah…I um, used to play the piano and church organ…_family __tradition_."

Yugi was startled to realize that they had two things, so far, in common. "Do you…remember your family?"

She hesitantly nodded her head, "Yeah…I remember them very well…_both __of __them_."

Yugi glanced at her curiously, "Both? Were you're parents split up or something?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lamia in a low and uncomfortable voice, as she once again folded her arms around herself, and shifted her gaze to the floor, seeming to close in on herself defensively.

"Okay, I get that, no problem…so-"

"How many girlfriends have you had?" she asked him suddenly, stopping him in mid-sentence.

Yugi glanced at her nervously before shrugging, "Um…well, I've never had a 'girlfriend' in the sense that I'm sure you're referring to."

"Me too…though there was one guy that I liked to pretend was my boyfriend." She laughed nervously, and once again dealt with the same uncooperative strands of hair that managed to crawl out their previous constraint.

"Oh really, how come you two never got together?" Yugi could think of several idealistic reasons why, but he wasn't in a mean enough, mood, to point any out. His best guess however, was that she was a major _wacko_ even before she became a vampire.

"_He_ didn't know I existed, I was just a _play thing_ for him," she answered softly, with hardly even a trace of emotion in her voice, but in her eyes Yugi could clearly see the slight hurt and bitterness towards the fact that she had so easily seemed, to have come to accept. "I don't think he even knew my name."

Yugi scratched the back of his head, "_Oh_…what a major dick."

"_He __can __be_…Did you have anybody like that?"

"Yeah, except she knew I existed, that is to say, when my brother _wasn__'__t __around_." Yugi didn't mean for the bitterness he felt, to enter his voice or manipulate his tone, but he knew it was there the moment he heard the words leave his lips.

"Oh…" she exclaimed softly, watching him with wide and pitying eyes.

"Yeah but I grew used to it a long time ago, I mean, Yami's just that kind of guy, and I'd be an idiot if I thought I could ever measure up to-" he could not believe how much he had said to a _total __stranger_, and Lamia of all people, and stopped himself immediately. "You know, we shouldn't be talking about this…we need to work on your hunting instincts. Do you know how to stop yourself if you need to, even if you're in an instinctual haze?"

She appeared slightly disappointed that he didn't want to finish what he was telling her, but seemed to brush it off quite quickly, as she shook her head. "Not exactly, I once took out an entire group by accident because I couldn't break out of it, until the very last heart stopped beating. It was by the city entrance, you know, beneath the city bridge?"

"That was you?" Yugi had come across a flyer from the Domino Police, requesting for any information regarding one of the most horrendous slayings of a street gang in the city's history, though he honestly believed it was the work of a satanic cult…after all, most of the victims were completely dismembered, which was not exactly a natural feeding method for most vampires…_except __for __the __psycho __ones_.

Lamia nodded sheepishly. "I didn't mean all of it, in fact I wanted to keep the youngest one alive, but then he turned his back on me and started to run and…_I_ just couldn't _control __it._"

Yugi's suspicions about her dangerous abilities as well as her self control, functioning only on her instincts, were confirmed.

"O-kay…we've got a lot to work on then, because right now…_you__'__re __incredibly __dangerous_."

Lamia smirked at him, "I thought you'd be the kind to like _dangerous __girls_?"

In habit and as more of an impulse than anything else, Yugi flirtatiously smirked back, "Only if they get _wild __on __me_." He immediately bit his tongue in regret and turned away, realizing that this was a highly inappropriate dialogue to share with his former enemy and _bane_ to his existence. "Okay," he announced in a serious, back-to-business tone, "Let's first find a target."

"Isn't that dangerous?" she asked quietly with wide, and cautious eyes.

"Not exactly, you're going to have to first learn how to control your instincts, before you can learn how to use your powers, accurately…and it'll be safer for your moving target if a skilled vampire is around to supervise it all."

"Skilled huh…last time I checked a female rookie, kicked your ass…" Lamia grinned amusedly.

"Come on, _I __don__'__t __hit __girls_," Yugi muttered with a roll of his eyes, yet inwardly…_his __ego __was __severely __bruised __at __that __fact_. "Now we need to find you a target-"

"Are we going to the beach?"

"Not a good idea, there are too many people around, and not too many hiding places to sneak them off into," Yugi concluded after a few seconds of thought, working out the lay out of the beach in his mind.

"Yeah, but it sounds like there's a party going on over there…it'll be fun don't you think?"

Yugi slowly blinked at her, "Lamia, we're not supposed to be having fun, I'm supposed to be training you!"

"Fine…but I'd bet you a million bucks that the girls down there are going to get so drunk that they'll be stripping down any minute and skinny dipping in the ocean-"

"You know what, _on __second __thought_; let's go find you a target on the beach, after all a missing partygoer will hardly be noticed in a crowed like that." Yugi grinned and began leading their way there.

Lamia smirked triumphantly, so_predictable_, she thought. "Hey Yugi, do you like blondes?" she asked him, as she fell into step beside him.

Yugi raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you really asking me what my type of girl is?"

Lamia shrugged, "Yeah."

"Um…well _no_, I like brunettes," he finally concluded.

Lamia lowered her gaze to the ground and stuffed her hands in her pockets, "Oh…"

"Um…" Yugi didn't quite know how to deal with the awkward topic, and decided to try and be nice about it. "What's your type?"

Lamia smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders yet again, "Dark, mysterious types I guess."

_Four __things __that __they __now __had __in __common_…

Yugi smirked, "Ah, let me guess, he's got to be tall, impossibly handsome, muscular, with a deeply attractive voice…crystal blue eyes, maybe even gold, and tanned skin?"

Lamia chuckled lowly under her breath, "Well you're right about the tanned and muscular part, but the eye colour's wrong."

"Oh really, what colour would you prefer then?"

Lamia's lips parted slightly as though to answer him, but then she shook her head and smiled, as they came to the end of the docks, and the beginning of the sandy landscape. The scent of a wood-burning fire invaded their nostrils, as well as the tang of alcohol and sweat, mixed within the salty air. Shouts, calls, and cat whistles, bellowed out loudly in the distance, as the festivities grew wilder between the partiers on the beach.

"Okay this is what we're going to do; we're going to find a physically capable human, lure him off in this direction, and take him back to the port…you game?"

Lamia nodded, "What are we going to do with him though?"

"We're going to scare him, and then he's going to run around like a frightened little animal, and you're going to hunt him down, and at the same time, learn how to control your instincts. Simple enough?"

"Okay."

"Right, I'm going this way, you go that way," Yugi instructed, as he made his way over to the sandbar, which 'coincidently' happened to be surrounded by pretty, young teenager _girls_.

"And exactly what are you going to find over there?" Lamia asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Yugi smirked and winked at her, "It would be rude to crash a party and not talk to the other guests."

"Typical…you're _supposed _to be helping me!" she whined in annoyance.

"I will, I will, I'm just going to engage in a little bit of small talk for a while, and besides one of these girls are bound to have an oversized and equally over-territorial boyfriend that'll want to beat the crap out of me for flirting with his girlfriend." He winked at her.

"You're seriously going to be flirting with girls, while I'm scouting for a guy to play hunting practice on? I'm sorry, but I'm not happy about our time together been used so that you can rope in a girlfriend! I don't care how _sexually __frustrated_ you are!"

Yugi shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Lamia, seriously, the last thing I'll ever do, is _date_…that's Yami's thing, not mine. I'm simply provoking jealous boyfriends to attack me, while practicing my _womanizing _skills_._"

Lamia rolled her eyes and strolled away from him, shaking her head dismissively, though seeming to buy his 'excuse.'

Yugi eyed a young red haired girl, with hair that flowed past her elbows and just touched the start of her hips. She seemed familiar, but Yugi was sure that he would have remembered such a beauty, with curves in all the right places, and slim in all the rest. The fire behind her, seemed to illuminate all her features, warming her complexion with an orangey glow, and lighting what appeared to be a pair of light hazel eyes. She was seated beside two other girls, one that was either punk, _or __emo_, with bright bubble gum pink dyed hair, tied in two pigtails, and looked just about ready to pass out, as she swigged from a label-less glass bottle, before passing it to her other tomboyish pal beside her, who looked zoned out and ultimately - _stoned_.

"Hi girls," Yugi greeted politely in a smooth charming voice that immediately won him favour with the female trio.

The girl, who Yugi had already nicknamed Pinkie, immediately reacted to his presence, with a wide, inviting smile. "Hi! What brings you here to the loser's corner, surely you belong somewhere higher up-" she shook her head, which Yugi assumed was to clear her misty vision, before smiling back up at him. "You're really cute!"

"Shell!" the redhead gasped, giving her friend a firm, yet gently shove on the shoulder, before turning to him apologetically, "I-I'm sorry, she's…"

Yugi held up his hands and nodded, "No worries, and to answer you're question, I was just wondering by when I saw these three really cute babes sitting here, and just couldn't bring myself to walk by without at least offering to buy one of them a drink."

The redhead smiled sheepishly and shook her head, "Thanks, but no thanks, I think some of us have had just about enough to drink tonight-"

The pink haired girl slapped her on the back and waved frantically at him, "Don't go though! I mean, we want you to still stay, _right __guys_?"

The tomboyish girl looked up dazedly and nodded her head, before giving him the thumbs up, seeming stoned enough to have being cool with just about anything her friend suggested. She was a weird impish looking girl, with a short blonde haircut and dim grey eyes, wearing an oversized black T-shirt with a pair of headphones on the front of it, and a dark blue denim jacket. The redhead girl however, looked just about ready to sink into a dark hole.

"Well, I would never pass off that invitation…I'm Yugi," he introduced, reaching out his hand to the pink haired girl first, since she seemed the most enthusiastic about taking it.

"I'm Shelby! It's so great to meet you Yugi, _you__'__re __like __so __hot_!" she was pulled away by the redhead, who once again, shot him an apologetic look.

"Hi," she said softly through a small, shy smile, "I'm Serenity…and that over there is Jo." Jo smiled at him and waved, but didn't seem to be overly interested, or even really aware that he was in fact there and not something she had hallucinated.

"So, Yugi…" Shelby interrupted him, roughly rubbing his right arm as though trying to feel through the leather of his jacket, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Yugi smiled at her somewhat humourlessly, "No, I do not in fact."

She smirked at him flirtatiously, "Well you know, if you're looking for one, I could totally-"

"Um Shelby, you should fix your shirt," Serenity suggested quickly, eyeing the midriff skin tight shirt that was dangerously close to exposing too much of her cleavage. Shelby immediately looked down to see what Serenity was talking about, allowing Yugi enough of a gap to escape the awkward situation. He turned to Serenity and gave her an inviting smile.

"You must be a model."

She blushed darkly and shook her head somewhat shy, yet also flattered. "N-no, I actually work at a restaurant on the other side of the city, as a waitress…but that was sweet of you to think."

"W-what do I look like I do?" Shelby interrupted, grabbing on to Yugi, leaning most of her weight against him, and battered her eyes at him cutely. Yugi's immediate mental response to that, was telling her she looked like some metal band's crazy groupie that worked part-time as a ghost tour guide through cemeteries.

"Whatever you do, must be one hell of career path to follow now that you've joined it."

She blushed, flattered by his words, "Oh, you…" She playfully smacked his chest. "I'm part of an apprenticeship program in _beauty__school_."

_For who, the undead?_

Yugi had to hand it to her however, as she seemed to sound much better than most sloshed girls when she spoke. "I see, well if you can get any of those girls to look as good as you do, then I'm sure the world will be a much more _beautiful __place_…" he winked at her before turning back to Serenity. "Now how come you three are sitting here and not joining in the festivities over there?"

Serenity shrugged with a small smile, but her friend simply moved in on him further, this time actually pulling herself into him and squeezing him around the ribcage, before jumping up and down, almost falling over, but he caught her just in time. "That's a great idea! Let's go dance! Come on Jo, dance with us!" She reached out and pulled Jo to her feet, before swaying in the opposite direction, almost falling over again. "Come on Yugi, join us too _hot-stuff_!"

Yugi smiled apologetically and gave them a half wave, "I'll join you in a minute."

The pair rushed off, leaving him and Serenity behind, which Yugi was somewhat glad about. "You're not going to, are you?" Serenity said softly with a knowing grin.

Yugi smiled back at her, before taking Shelby's vacant seat. "Are you kidding me? With my awesome freestyle skills, I'd cause a jealous riot out there; I'd rather leave it alone to the amateurs." He joked, giving her a wink.

Serenity chuckled and then blushed, acting very much like a young girl who was interested and didn't know how to go about it. "So um…are you enjoying the party so far?"

Yugi smirked and nodded, "Yeah, are these kinds of things hosted a lot around here?"

Serenity threw him an amused smile, "Yeah, pretty much every weekend."

"Um…don't take this the wrong way, but, you don't really seem to be the wild party type," Yugi observed, taking note of the conservative way in which she dressed, as well as the lack of alcohol in her system, which just didn't fit the environment she was in.

Serenity giggled softly and shook her head, "N-no, um…I'm not. I usually play the designated driver when they're too wasted to drive home themselves."

Yugi was about to respond to her, when he sensed the fast, incoming of something - _heavier __than __air_- coming right at him, and turned to react just in time, when a petite girl fell right into his arms. Her brightly coloured hair gave her identity away immediately, and it didn't take Yugi more than a second to realize he was holding Shelby, while a zoned out Jo, just breezed passed them, barely giving her fallen friend a second glance, as she plopped down beside Serenity.

"Cra'aaaap!" Shelby moaned, before squirming around in his arms. "Wha'- mmm – what ha'append?" she sighed, fluttering her eyes open and then wincing them closed again. "Lights…too bright!"

"Shelby, I think it's time to take you home," Serenity said alarmingly, throwing Yugi an apologetic look again, before nudging her friend's shoulder. "Come on!"

Shelby opened her eyes again and instantly found Yugi's, which suddenly woke her up completely, with excitement, "Oh it's the hot single guy!"

Yugi smirked down at her amusedly, "Hi…_again_."

She squirmed around in his arms until she was sitting upright in his lap; in a rather suggestive way that was a little too close to his crotch…_for__comfort_. "You kno'oh that I…am really, reee'ally…I," she paused for a moment seeming to collect her thoughts, before flashing him a wide, _totally __drunk_, smile. "Reee'ally, like you…cause you're hot! I like hot guys!"

"Shelby, I really think you should-" Serenity tried, but Shelby immediately continued where she left off.

"And!" she gestured with her pointing finger, in a hammer-down motion, "I…would like…_to __show __you __a __really __good __time_!"

Serenity's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she jolted forward to try and save what was left of her friend's dignity, accidentally knocking Jo aside, who had been trying to light a cigarette, "Ah Ser, what the fuck man!"

"Alright, serious Shell, we're going home now-" Serenity tried once more, but Shelby immediately slapped her hand away.

"No way Ser-Suri," her brow knitted closely together in deep concentration as she tried to remember her friend's name, before giving up with a loud, hysterical laugh and a roll of her eyes, "Go get your own hot guy! This one's mine!"

"Shelby-" Serenity hissed, while trying to grab hold of her wrist again, only to be interrupted this time by their other friend Jo.

"Dude, just leave her, she's fine!"

"No, she isn't Jo!" Serenity hissed, before throwing Yugi a small, almost pleading and embarrassed smile.

"Of course I am!" Shelby bellowed loudly, to which Yugi winced in response to, as its shrillness went right through him. "Um…it's Yogi-?"

"Yugi," he corrected her with an amused smile.

She gave him a wide grin and snickered, "Riii'ght! Yugi! Well Yugi…do you…?" She moved her lips over to his ear and gently purred into it. "Want to go some-_hair_, where we can be, _all__'__lll_ alone?"

"He can't!" the angry growl startled all four of them, as their heads whipped around to the enraged, white haired female that stood before them, with an angry scowl across her face. "Because he's got somewhere he needs to be right now…doesn't he?" Her black eyes burned into his soul as she cast him a spine chilling glare that would have cracked marble.

"Uh…ladies?" Yugi once again put the charm back on as he addressed them. "Meet my um…sister…_Snowy_."

Serenity gave her a small, friendly smile, and brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes, "Hi there I'm-"

"I don't care," Lamia growled, cutting her off icily. "Yugi, I'm done here, let's move on."

"Oh shizz, I think I'm gonna-" Shelby slapped a hand to her mouth and shut her eyes tightly, as her stomach heaved slightly against him, alarming Yugi at once.

"We need to get her to a bathroom!" Serenity advised wisely, after recovering from Lamia's cold assault.

Yugi picked her up off him slightly, before rearranging her so that her legs were no longer straddling him and rose from his seat with her securely in his arms, while she squealed with drunken delight. "Okay, let's go then." He side glanced at Lamia, who was throwing him an incredibly dark and murderous glare, and suddenly wondered what the hell the little psycho's problem was, when Serenity jumped up and began leading the way.

"This way Yugi!" she called from behind her, and Yugi immediately began to follow, mentally praying to any god that would listen that the girl he was helping, would not throw up all over him. He had never been able to handle vomit before his transformation, and most certainly would not be able to handle it now after, when his senses were almost a thousand times more, sharper.

Lamia fell into step once again beside him and hissed lowly under her breath, "What are you doing?"

"_Snowy_ just stay here!" Yugi snapped, as he carried on walking ahead of her with the overly cheerful and bubbly girl in his arms, not giving her a backward glance as she fell behind. He felt Shelby stir in his hold and noticed her complexion turning slightly green, as her stomach heaved and fell with sickness. _She __wasn__'__t __going __to __last __long_. "How far are the bathrooms?" he asked Serenity in alarm.

Serenity shot him a concerned look before shaking her head, "The other side of the parking lot!"

Yugi shook his head, "She'll never make it that far." His eyes darted skilfully around the beach where he noticed a strange shack like thing nearby, with a large trashcan barrel in front of it. "What's that?" he asked her with a nudge of his head in the same direction.

Serenity barely glanced at it before answering, "It's a shower."

Yugi started to make his way towards it, and beckoned Serenity to follow him, which she did without questioning him. The pair made it there just in time, with Yugi just placing Shelby on her feet besides the metal barrel, a second before she upchucked into it. Needless to say, it was disgusting…and made Yugi quite thankful that he hadn't taken her up on her suggestive offer, beforehand, which he had been tempted at first to do.

"I'm so sorry Yugi," Serenity apologised, while holding Shelby's hair back so that it didn't get in the way. "She's not usually like this…"

"Don't be a fuh-blaa'aaar!" Shelby continued to gurgle up the contents of her stomach, and Yugi could only pity her, while trying desperately not to breathe in its awful and sour scent.

Jo slowly strolled up to them with a blank expression and regarded Shelby with a raised eyebrow, before shrugging and taking out another cigarette, offering her pack to Yugi, who politely shook his head, and then lit hers with a small shrug. "Hurry up man, I gotta take a piss!"

Serenity shot Jo an incredulous look, before blushing wildly and turning her face away so that Yugi couldn't see it, clearly embarrassed. Shelby coughed and spluttered, before muttering something unintelligible and rolled off to the side out of Serenity's grip, though luckily Yugi could react faster and once again caught her before she hit the ground. Her breathing was laboured and deep, and every now and then she would moan, with her eyes shut closed, tightly.

"Thanks Yugi, you're a lifesaver, can you please help bring her to the car?" Serenity asked him softly with a tired and miserable voice, and was hardly able to make eye contact with him.

"Sure, no problem," he said through a smile, as he lifted her limp body back into his arms.

When they reached the parking lot, Jo quickly disappeared into the girl's bathroom, while Serenity led Yugi to her car, opening up the backdoor seat for him. He gently lifted the semi-conscious girl onto the seat, and positioned her upright, before trying to pull away, when she grabbed hold of his arms. "No!" she squeaked, before pulling him back. "No, don't leave me too!"

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay, alright? Your friend is just taking you home now," Yugi tried to pry the girl's hand off him, but she held firm, and gave him a sweetly seductive look.

"Come home with me!" she purred huskily before leaning towards him and grabbed hold of his crotch, _when __the __unthinkable __happened_… The sudden motion of dropping down in such a violent and unexpected way, disrupted the contents of her stomach, which immediately flooded out her mouth in an uncontrollable gush, _and __Ra __help __him_, directly onto his chest. Yugi quite felt like gagging himself…

"Oh crap!" Serenity cried out miserably, "Yugi, gosh, I'm so sorry…oh man, let me – wait, I've got some napkins in the car-"

Yugi held up a single halting hand with his eyes closed, "Its okay…_its __okay_…don't worry about it…_no __big_…_deal_. Shit happens, all the time right?" His voice was painfully strained, but he managed to hold onto a tight smile, before gently shutting the car door closed on Shelby's alluring suggestions and protests, and turned to regard Serenity, with what he hoped looked like an image of calmness. "It was really nice meeting you tonight Serenity, as well as your friends. Drive home safely."

Serenity forced a small smile, "It was nice meeting you too Yugi…and once again, seriously thanks for helping out and I'm really sorry-"

"Fucking hell, you won't believe the shit ya gotta do to take a piss in there! Fucking toilets are all blocked and some asshole took a dump in the fucking sink!" Jo yelled loudly as she jumped into the passenger seat, throwing a glance back over her shoulder at Shelby. "What the fuck are you going on about you cheap bitch?"

Serenity sighed and breathed in and out deeply, staring up at the sky with the same kind of questioning emotion people got on their faces when they asked the supreme forces of the world, 'why them?'

"Goodbye Yugi," she said softly as she grudgingly climbed into the driver's seat and buckled herself up.

"Bye Serenity!" Yugi responded as he stiffly waved her off, almost gagging when he felt his shirt, wetly stick to his torso. _Oh __my __dear __fucking __Ra. _Worse was the fact that he didn't know how the hell he was going to take the shirt off either, without having it touch his face, which was completely out of the question. _There __was __no__way __someone __else__'__s __vomit, __was __touching __that __area __of __his __body_.

Once her car was out of sight he began to walk along the parking lot, which was unusually quiet, of bustling activity. In fact the only other people in it were a young couple making out heavily in a parked car to his side, and four stoners sitting along the railing that separated the beach from the parking, randomly discussing on whether or not what had happened to the ocean was that it had mysteriously turned into sand, or that the water was disguised as sand to _confuse_ them. Yugi grinned and shook his head, as he casually made his way around the parked cars. He had just neared the entrance that led back to the beach, when a metallic clank caught his attention. He whipped his head to the side, half expecting to see Lamia tearing across the way towards him with a metal pole in her hands to assault him with. What he saw instead however, was a handful of oversized basket ball player types, ganging up on a smallish female, who looked just about ready to start fighting back.

Morality struck him, and he simply couldn't allow a girl to fend off so many men all by her _human_ self…well in theory. He had quite enjoyed the live porn aspect of it a while ago, and didn't always mind the blood fests and idiotic violence brought on my mindless and short tempered morons with knives…but hey, _he __needed __an __excuse __for __getting __rid __of __some __of __his __frustration_. He whizzed up towards them in a black blur, just in time to stop one of them from launching himself at her. "Hey Goliath, you're a long way away from the land of _barbarians_ here my mindless friend, we treat our girls with a little bit of more respect!" Yugi called out threateningly, as he made his way over to step in front of her with long confident strides and tensed shoulders. "So why don't you and you're scumbag pack scurry back to whatever cave you came from, and leave her alone."

The big guy squared his shoulders and straightened up to full height, practically towering over Yugi. "What did you say to me pipsqueak?"

"What, did a plane get lodged in your ear? I said leave her alone."

"Kid's brave," one of his intimidating friends commented, as he stepped around the group and made his way to stand just a few feet short from Yugi, "But really stupid."

"Get lost punk, or the cleaners are going to have to scrape you off the tar tomorrow in pieces."

"Yeah, go back home to mommy!" another one called out and then laughed.

"You mean yours? Sorry, but last time I banged her, she gave me herpes," Yugi retorted.

The guy tensed up with a murderous expression. "What did you just say about my mother?"

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Nice, you'll defend your mother and prove that chivalry is in fact still alive, but what do you think she'd say if she saw you pushing around a girl in a parking lot-"

He was cut off in mid sentence when his eyes met with the girl's dark ones, recognizing her immediately.

"That's it kid, I was just going to let you go, but now me and the boys are going to fuck you up so bad, you're going to eat through a straw for the rest of your life!"

"…" he and the girl continued to stare at each other, seeming to exchange an entire mental conversation, before he forced his attention away, "Actually, I already do, _most __of __the __time_, and second, if you touch her, _I__'__ll __take __you __apart __piece __by __piece,_ now beat it."

"Ooo, I'm so scared, this kid sounds like he really means, business Jake," one of his friends behind him called out, while holding up both hands and wiggling his fingers. "Maybe we should run now while we still can?"

"Yeah maybe we should, _or __maybe_ we should just tie him and the little bitch up to a heavy anchor, and sink them in the river-" she immediately socked him a hard punch to the side of his jaw, and spun around on her left heel before delivering him a lightning quick, and ultimately powerful kick to the gut, sending him sprawling backwards, before leaping out the way, and standing somewhat close to Yugi, whose mouth was hung open in both surprise and awe.

"Bitch, get back here!" The guy who was standing closest to Yugi, suddenly leapt in at her, but Yugi simply elbowed him backwards, sending him much farther than what should have been humanly possible. The girl turned to see what had happened, having only vaguely seen movement in her side vision and was surprised by it. Yugi however, had his attention on the guys that were now menacingly surrounding them.

"Get behind me," he commanded her, while trying to step in front of her protectively.

"No way, you get behind me!"

He smirked, _loving __her __spunk_, but at the same time, realized that these guys weren't just knocking her around for fun, and really meant, as that one guy had so nicely put earlier, _business_. He could see the flick knife quite clearly from its concealed location in his gloved hand, thanks to the assistance of his additional vamp sight. The chances were though that she didn't, and if she went for him too hastily, she'd get seriously injured.

When the guy rushed forward, so did Yugi, at a speed much faster than he had intended, and caught the guy by surprise, kneeing him in the gut, which instantly winded him, before grabbing hold of the other guy's arm and flinging him over onto his back.

However, in all the commotion, someone had snuck up from behind her, and caught her by surprise, and by the time Yugi had put their third gang member out of commission, the girl was been held at gunpoint. "Y-Yugi!" she squeaked warningly, not seeming too concerned about herself, but rather more concerned about _him_ getting shot.

Yugi turned around slowly and raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. He realized, especially after what had happened to Yami that he needed to be a little more wary of these kinds of weapons. "Come on dude, we both know that you're not really going to shoot her, so just let her go."

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but I'll frikin kill you and her, if you take one step towards us!"

"Look, take me okay, let her go, and take me…come on man, _she__'__s __just __a __girl_."

She pulled a face that seemed quite offended by that remark, but was violently shaken in his arms as he forcefully pulled her along with him. "I can't do that, man...she's gotta come with us."

Yugi rolled his eyes before deciding to try a different approach, using mind control. He was able to freeze the thug to the spot, before he darted up to him, and socked him a hard punch to the side of his face, knocking him out cold, before flinging him to the ground and kicked the gun away. "There, _now __stay __down_!" He heard running footsteps, and saw the cowards of the gang sprinting across the lot towards a shiny, yellow car, parked right at the very end and mostly out of sight, leaving their fallen buddies behind.

"Thanks," she said, while rubbing her right wrist and throwing a dark, vengeful glare at the retreating creeps, "But I could have taken them by myself, I didn't need your help."

"Ah Razzy, it's so good to know you haven't changed since the last time we spoke, but you totally know that you could never have gotten out of that without my help," Yugi said as he turned to regard her with an admiring eyebrow. _The __girl __was __tough_, and awesomely kick-assed.

"Of course I could have!" she argued defensively.

"Yeah, yeah, okay sure, but what do you think of my awesome moves? Did they impress you? How'd you like that cool kung fu number I did on that last guy, _to __save __you_?" Yugi said, as he demonstrated a movie-like martial arts movement with his arms by slicing them through the air in a circular motion.

"You mean to _help_ me right? You didn't rescue me; I wasn't some damsel in distress," Razz said coolly with a warning glare.

"Is that a yes?" Yugi tried, with an amused grin and a daring wink.

"No, now if you'll excuse me-" The screech of tires sliced through the parking lot's silence, and Yugi grabbed hold of Razz just in time, to pull her out the way of a racing yellow car, which flew passed them at an illegally high speed, and knocked over a trashcan as it sprinted out into the night. Yugi released her reluctantly, while watching the red tail-lights disappear into blackness, and turned to look her over to make sure that she was okay.

"You alright?" he asked her in concern.

"I'm fine, thanks." She responded, while stepping away from him stubbornly, before catching sight of his shirt. "What the hell is that?"

Yugi looked down and growled lowly, "Um…some chick threw up on me, _no __big __deal_, and thanks for your concern."

Razz threw him a disgusted look, and almost looked like she wanted to throw up as well. "That is just so gross that I wish I'd never even asked, but I'm sure you deserved it." She turned to leave when Yugi stopped her.

"Whoa wait, hold up, you can't just leave me like that, come on, I just saved your life!"

"No you didn't!" Razz corrected him with a, certain stubbornness.

"Yeah I know I did, thanks for acknowledging that," Yugi winked teasingly. "Now about paying me back-"

"You are friking impossible, you know that?" Razz growled irritably, before folding her arms and glaring 'ninja darts' and 'throwing daggers' at him.

"Look, just go on one date with me, okay! _Just __one,_ and you'll never have to deal with me ever again, I promise."

"You're kidding me right?" though when she saw his perfectly serious expression she frowned, "No way!"

"Come on, please…I swear I'll never bother you again! Come on, you know you want to bite…and it'll be the perfect way to thank me for saving your life!" Yugi gave her a charming grin, and worked his equivalent of the wide, puppy dog eyes on her, which she seemed to be quite immune to, as the frown never left her expression, and her eyes still remained in their usual guarded hardness.

"You didn't save my life! I could have taken them on by myself; I didn't need your help at all!" She continued to argue, but the line was getting old, and she knew it.

"Yeah, but you still got it," Yugi winked at her yet again.

Secretly finding his charm somewhat cute, Razz finally rolled her eyes, "Fine, _one __date_ and then you're out of my life forever, got it?"

Yugi smiled triumphantly, "Got it, how about tomorrow at 8?"

Razz glared at him darkly, "Fine, and don't you dare take me some sleazy, seedy place with strippers and drug dealers, cause then I'm going to kill you!"

Yugi gasped and raised his eyebrows in mocked offence, "I think I have more class than that…_there __wouldn__'__t __be __drug __dealers_."

Razz blinked her eyes once, completely unimpressed. "Wouldn't be drug dealers…" she trailed off, before narrowing her eyes, "You're really not that funny."

"Of course I am you just need to get to know me better," Yugi promised with a grin.

"Oh gee, _can__'__t __wait_!" she muttered sarcastically. "Look, I'm staying at the Redbird's Hotel, there's a restaurant at it too, be there at eight."

"No problem," he winked at her, "By the way, do you need a ride somewhere? I mean, I don't want you to get in the same situation as-"

"No. Thanks, but I'll be fine, _and __I __think __I__'__ve __just __had __about __as __much __of __you __as __I __can __take __for __tonight_," she muttered under her breath as she made her way towards the beach, with her hands firmly in her pockets.

"Okay then, see you tomorrow night Razzy!" Yugi called after her, before walking off on a path of his own, heading back to the docks.

* * *

Ryou's eyes bulged in their sockets as he took in the sight before him. It was Prince Atem's twin brother, heroically coming to the aid of the girl he had been pursuing.

'_Well, well, well…this is indeed a treat. It seems this human girl will be of use to us after all.'_

Ryou could say nothing and remained frozen in shock, as he watched the scene play out before him, with wide eyes.

"_Fine, __one __date __and __then __you__'__re __out __of __my __life __forever, __got __it?__" _she hissed at Yugi, completely unaware that by saying those thirteen unlucky little words, she had unintentionally sealed her fate.

'_This is perfect! We have now found the key to exterminating this little pest once and for all!'_

Ryou finally snapped out his trance, and hesitantly shook his head, "Bakura, maybe we shouldn't-"

'_Do not finish the rest of that idiotic sentence…have you forgotten what our primary objective is in all this?'_

"Of course I haven't, but perhaps turning her against him won't work now, since she seems to know him personally…and _intimately_," Ryou argued reasonably.

'_I know that you fool, which is why I've changed our plans…' _

"Changed them…_to __what __exactly, __Bakura_?" Ryou said with slightly narrowed eyes, keeping his gaze firmly on the tarred ground below them.

'_Bait of course!'_

Ryou's eyes widened, "Bait?"

"_Yes…we'll allow him some time to grow attached to her, and then when his attachment has reached its prime, we'll capture her and lure him into a trap."_

Ryou disagreeably shook his head. "Bakura, that is highly unlikely. He's probably just toying with her, for all we know. Come on, this is the perfect opportunity to kill him ourselves while still under the protection of the shield, he'll never see us coming." Ryou made a move to jump into action, but Bakura's cold, mental voice halted his every movement.

'_Are you questioning me Ryou? How dare do you act without my permission!' _

Ryou grimaced and immediately backed down, while placidly shaking his head. "No Bakura…I'm not _questioning_ you."

'_Listen to me well boy…if you want power, you'll do exactly as I say, and exactly when I say it. Have I ever being wrong before, about anything?' _

_He __had __in __fact_, Ryou soon realized, as he recalled Bakura's confidence in Lamia's ability to destroy Yugi once before, despite his protests and claims that she wasn't ready enough; but he wouldn't dare point out that fact.

'_Exactly!__' _Bakura's satisfied voice growled in response. _'__So __from __now __on, __be __smart __enough __to __keep __your __mouth __shut __and __do __as __you__'__re __told.__'_

* * *

Yugi had just made it to the wooden platform of the docks, when a light wind rocked his jacket and gently flapped his shirt, and he found himself looking up into Lamia's death-glaring eyes, which seemed to literally burn with black rage. "You don't _date_ huh?"

He sighed tiredly and rolled his own, "Weren't you supposed to be looking for something, instead of listening in to my private conversations?"

"Weren't you supposed to be helping me? All you did tonight was flirt with other girls! Be honest, you never went there to find me a target, you went over there to find some cheap and easy girl to ease some of your tension on!" Lamia growled angrily at him, with folded arms.

"Hey do you want to get a bite to eat before we leave? I'm kind of hungry," Yugi mumbled casually, while he stretched, and flexed his muscles.

"Don't change the subject!" Lamia yelled.

"Come on Lamia, you don't need to make a scene_about __everything_, so what if I spent my evening with a few other girls instead, I thought you would have been happy to take a break from me for a little while, anyway?" Yugi muttered, getting slightly irritated. "We've still got plenty of time on our hands."

"Who's that girl you're taking out on a date tomorrow night? Do you even like her?"

"Who gives a _shit_, and why do you even care?" Yugi snapped.

"I don't care!" Lamia snapped back icily.

"Then don't ask about it!"

Lamia huffed angrily and flung her icy gaze over to the other side of the dock, where they both heard the distant sound of squealing tires. "Since when, am I your sister?" she all but growled after a long and silent pause between them.

Yugi shot her a confused look. "What?"

She shot him an irritable look, "On the beach, you introduced me as your sister…and lord forbid, as _Snowy_!"

Yugi choked on a chuckle and was unable to help himself from grinning amusedly. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. _Um_, we've got to keep your real identity a secret…we don't want your other psycho '_friend_' to know you're still alive…and Snowy just seemed really _appropriate_ at the time."

"Yeah sure, because so many parents call their daughters Snowy!" Lamia spat sarcastically.

"Well…mine_called __me, __Yugi_, you know that means 'game' in Japanese right?" Yugi retorted, while wiggling his eyebrows twice in triumph. "From now on, I'm going to call you _Snowy_."

Lamia gave him a threatening look and growled, "I hate that name!"

Yugi shrugged with an amused grin, "I know, why do you think I'm going to start using it?"

Lamia opened her mouth to respond when a loud bang thundered from their side, starling them both, and leaving them partly deaf. Her hands shot up to cover her ears, which rang loudly with an annoying mosquito-whine, whereas Yugi muttered and cursed in a series of different languages, before straitening up slightly, to see what had exploded. "What the fuck was that?" he growled eventually, before narrowing his eyes angrily in the direction from which the noise had come from.

"It s-sounded like a car bomb going off!" Lamia whimpered in a whiny and pained voice.

Yugi's eyes widened in terror, "What did you just say?"

"It sounded like a car-" Yugi vanished before she could fully complete her sentence, and raised an eyebrow confusedly as she watched his retreating form, disappear out the docks, before hurrying to catch up with him.

They both arrived in the back parking section of the docks, in time to see Yugi's prized vehicle bursting into flames. There was shattered glass surrounding the car, and bright yellow flames licking along its edges, tragically blackening the paint, while a single, lonesome wheel rolled towards them and fell directly, and _cruelly_ in front of him. There was another loud explosion, as another hot, burst of flame shot out the engine like a volcanic eruption, and the remainder of the car's metal body collapsed into a pathetic heap…_breaking __Yugi__'__s __heart_.

"Ah-Al-A…Al…Ah…Al…" he stuttered, unable to turn away from the horror, and jolted slightly when the driver's side door, fell off its hinges and twanged loudly, as it hit the ground.

"What the heck happened?" Lamia asked inquiringly, as she glanced around at their surroundings, almost as though she expected to find the answers from them.

"A'aaa, a'aaa…" Yugi choked.

Lamia glanced over to him questioningly, and frowned, "What the heck is wrong with you?"

"A'aaaa'aaa," Yugi's breath hitched, and he felt his eyes slightly burn with tears he refused to shed. "Al…!"

Lamia narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure his mumblings out, "Al what?"

"Allison…!" Yugi choked, before falling to his knees and placing both his hands on the badly burnt tyre. "Oh…Ally."

Lamia raised both her eyebrows, before darting her gaze to the destroyed vehicle and then back to an almost sobbing Yugi. "So this was…_your __car_?"

"Why?..._Why__'__yyy_?" Yugi groaned before making an odd sound in his throat, which reminded Lamia of dry sobbing. "Ra damn, _sick __bastards_!"

She gently cupped the sides of his shoulders, and cautiously pulled him upward from the ground, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. He didn't resist her, and rose easily, away from the tyre, forcing his gaze low so that he wouldn't see any more of the damage. "It's okay Yugi…_it __was __just __a __car_…"

"Car…Ally…car? _My __porn __collection __was __under __the __back __seat_…" Yugi said in a jumbled up sentence. "Car…? My car?"

Lamia shot him a concerned glance, wondering if Yugi was somehow losing his mind. "Yugi? Are you _okay_?"

His mouth opened slightly as though to respond to her, but another loud explosion cut him short, as a silvery object was flung out of the car's bonnet and smacked him squarely on the side of his left jaw…

* * *

They were snugly laying in each others arms, with Tea resting her head on his shoulder, as he lay staring up at the ceiling, smiling warmly at nothing in particular, other than enjoying her company and presence. "Is Yugi going to come back soon?" she asked him in a rather unhappy tone, as though the mere thought of having to part from him so soon, killed her inside.

Yami's smile widened, as he turned to look down at her. "Actually…I've been meaning to ask you something."

Tea raised her eyebrows expectantly, and gave him her full attention.

Yami lifted himself up slightly, and with a slight jerky motion, propped himself up on his elbow, never leaving her gaze. "How would you like to stay here with me for a while?"

Tea's eyes widened in surprise, "Here, with you? _Really?_ It's not like going to put you in danger or anything?"

Yami shook his head, and suddenly Tea realized the answer to her own question. "Of course, me being here is the safest option for both of us."

Yami confirmed it with a nod, and then gently stroked her cheek.

Tea then groaned and laughed nervously under her breath, "Do you think that Yugi could then somehow organise a doctor's note for me or something so that I won't get fired?"

Yami laughed and nodded his head, "He could actually, but I think he's got something better up his sleeve, you'll see when he gets here. _In __the __mean__time_…" Yami pressed her back against the bed and attacked her lips hungrily, his hands sliding back down her body, and stopping just by her hip. "I'll just have to show you all the reasons on why you should agree to stay," he whispered against her lips seductively, once again sparking her arousal back into play.

Tea giggled sweetly beneath him, "Oh really? Do you really think that sex is going to cut it?"

Yami mockingly gave her a thoughtful glance, twisting his lips slightly to the side, before shrugging. "Well…" he hummed in an almost uncertain way, "_Just __sex_, might not…but _hot __sex_? Hmm…" he winked at her.

Tea was inclined to agree, not that she would have left him for the world, regardless. "Now that might work," she teased him, mirroring his wink, before they once again locked lips and wrapped arms around each other.

Yami was just about to deepen the kiss, and start up another steamy love session, when a muscle pulled painfully at his chest, and he jerked away, wincing. "Um, okay…_I __think __I__'__m __going __to __have __to __stop __there_."

Tea gently stroked the side of his face, and nodded with complete understanding, not wanting Yami to hurt any more than he already did. They adjusted themselves so that they were sitting upright, snugly covered by the silky sheets that hung loosely around their bodies. She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it back as she decided to bring something up that she had wanted to, all evening, but hadn't quite gotten the chance. "Yami…_I __need __to __tell __you __something_."

"Sure Tea, go ahead," Yami encouraged with a warm and inviting smile, taking one of her hands into his own.

Tea stared into space for a moment with a thoughtful expression before quietly beginning. "I got a letter today…_it __was __from __my __mother_." Yami looked at her in surprise, as up until now he had not actually been aware that Tea still had one.

"Oh…I thought that she was…" he began, but stopped himself before he finished that sentence, when Tea smiled bitterly.

"She was kind of dead to me for a very long time… There's one more part of my life that you still need to know about, and I'm sorry for not bringing it up sooner," she gave him a regretful look, but Yami shook his head, brushing it off with a forgiving smile. Tea returned a grateful one to him, before wetting her lips nervously. "When my dad started…_you __know_…my parents were actually separated. My mom moved out the house and lived with her long time 'lover' whom she had apparently been seeing since the year, after I was born, taking along with her, my…_half __sister_." Tea noticed another surprised look widen in Yami's eyes. "_We __don__'__t __talk __at __all_; we don't even co-exist with one another. _She_…never mind, I'm supposed to be talking about _my __mom_, look she was the one who busted my father. She came home one day to get some of her stuff that she kept in the basement and found some of his photographs. I don't really remember much, but I do remember that she remained strong for a long time after that…but when my dad managed to escape the authorities, and disappear off the face of the earth…I don't know, it like hit her hard and _she __cracked_. She began drinking a lot…"

A haunted look glazed over Tea's eyes as she seemed to travel back in memory. "She became really, really depressed, and I saw things, bad things that a fourteen-year-old shouldn't have had to see. My mom was a cutter, and I remembered once waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and I saw her lying in the bathtub with blood splatters all over the place, and her arms were so badly cut up, _I __thought __she __was __dying_… Then there was the suicide attempt, in which she swallowed a whole bottle of pills and passed out in the living room. I called an ambulance, and they took her away on a stretcher." Yami softened his gaze sympathetically as she gave in to a low sniffle. "Um…they um, locked her up in a psychiatric ward…where she's been ever since. I was sent to live with her boyfriend's sister Mabel, who was a hectic Christian, and hated me with a passion, because I would not share in her beliefs."

Yami sighed tiredly and closed his eyes with a dramatic kind of slowness, before shaking his head. "I'm not even going to comment."

Tea laughed softly, before snuggling into his arms for comfort. "Anyway…she wants to see me about something, and I…I haven't seen her in months…and the last time ended so badly that I'm terrified of going back."

"Do you want me to come with you this time then?" Yami offered with a small reassuring smile, "I mean I could dress up a little more '_mom __friendly_' you know, with a buttoned up shirt, right to the collar, maybe get a pair of reading glasses…and a tie?"

Tea chuckled, genuinely amused, "And you know what, I'd bet you'd make it look super hot too." She winked at him, before looking away, shyly. "But…I'd really appreciate if you did come along with me…_for __moral __support_."

Yami leant down and gently kissed her forehead, "You know I would."

They briefly kissed, when they heard the front door rattle open, and a thundering set of footsteps pound along the ground, before it slammed shut. They broke apart immediately and looked in the direction of the bedroom door. Yami glared at it, seeming to listen intently on what was happening down below, whereas Tea, grabbed on to his arm, frightened.

"I'm back!" Yugi growled angrily from below, as he stomped over to a different part of the room. "I'm not going to come up there, _for __obvious __reasons_, so just come down here instead!"

"He sounds really pissed off," Tea whispered, with wide eyes, reluctantly releasing her hold on Yami's arm.

Yami nodded, "Yeah…maybe you should stay here."

"No way, let's go down together," she whispered back, before getting up and glancing around the room. They quickly gathered up their clothes again and hurriedly got dressed.

Yami decided to forget his shirt, and instead just threw on his pants. However, while he was zipping himself up, Tea found herself admiring his perfectly muscled physique, and once again felt the overwhelming need to run her hands along his chest - when he caught her staring at him and smiled with a raised eyebrow. She blushed and quickly glanced away, suddenly becoming very interested in fixing her hair, when his body disappeared and immediately reappeared behind her, wrapping both arms around her from behind, and gently kissed the back of her neck, sending electric shivers through her body. "Hold on," he whispered, huskily in her ear, which sent more chills up her spine, before she felt him lift her body off the ground and a cold wind wrapped around them.

When she looked again, they were in an all white living room, with Yugi, grumpily sitting in a slouched position on an uncomfortable looking, designer's couch, with an expression that closely resembled a thunder cloud that was about to spark lightening at any minute. He was also incredibly _grungy _looking, as though he had just crawled out a chimney.

"And your problem tonight would be what exactly?" Yami asked him, with a raised eyebrow, while he gently guided Tea to a seat of their own, seeming to particularly observe his younger twin's dingy appearance.

"Just fuck off Yami," Yugi grumbled without looking at him, before taking a deep composing breath. "Okay…so are we all agreed that Tea is staying here with you for a while?"

"Yes," Tea answered in a cautious voice, "Um Yugi…_are __you __okay_, what happened?"

"Fine – Peachy – _The __king __of __the __Ra __damn __world_," Yugi grumbled under his breath, before going right back to the previous topic. "Good, so you're staying here with him," he concluded, before folding out a brochure looking file. "Okay, we knew that your main concern was about missing work, so I came up with a solution that would work out for all of us. Today Mr. Hardwick got a call from a certain 'organisation' called _Jewel __Travels_, that wanted him to go on a once in a lifetime - all expense paid - world tour, if he could just answer one question correctly…which he did, so tomorrow he'll be presented with an awesome travelling package, for him and a friend of his choice, for an eight week long vacation…and by then Yami should be able to happily lift _minibuses_ again."

Tea's eyes went wide, "Wait, I don't understand…_how __did __you_…?"

Yugi grinned at her, "We organized it, the competition is just a cover up. I've got people that are going to pretend to be the organizers tomorrow. It's just to get him away and give you a long, well deserved break."

"But Yugi, Mr. Hardwick's old, I mean something might happen-"

"Don't worry Tea," Yami said softly, "He's going to have a private tour guide with him on every tour that knows the area and location extremely well, plus a private on-hand nurse, who is going to go undercover as the tour guide's assistant."

"Not to mention he'll be staying in five-star accommodation venues and driven around in luxury vehicles, plus travel from country to country in a private jet," Yugi informed her, with a very impressed tone, clearly pleased with himself. "And he won't have to pay a cent for any of it; Yami's got him totally covered."

"He'll be fine," Yami assured her confidently.

Tea glanced at him with wide eyes, "You covered all that? Wouldn't it have been easier just to buy a doctor's note off the black market?"

Yami smiled and nodded his head in amusement, before shrugging, "Yeah, probably…we could have also reported you as missing under the impression of kidnap…_but, __I __like __the __man_."

"Thank you," she whispered softly, before gently kissing him on the cheek.

"Yeah he's just so fucking awesome," Yugi mumbled under his breath, as he arranged the brochures, in the file, of all the incredible places Mr. Hardwick was due to tour.

Yami locked gazes with Tea, in which they once again shared an entire mental conversation that didn't need words. She nodded in agreement and flashed him a small smile of 'good luck' before rising from the couch. "Um…I'm just going to go to…the bathroom."

As soon as she left the room, Yami rounded on his younger twin. "Okay, what the fuck happened to you this time?"

Yugi raised his scarlet gaze to Yami's and glared at him. "I have just had the worst fucking night of my life, so excuse me for being a little Ra damn moody!"

"What happened?"

"First, this drunk bitch grabbed my fucking crotch and then threw up all over my Ra damn shirt, so yeah! This yellow shit is someone else's vomit! – Don't you dare even throw me one of your fucking lame insults, about it, asshole!"

Yami held up both his hands and shook his head, not having ever, even thought of insulting him, when Yugi just rushed on. "And then some Ra damn dumb and stupid fucker blew up Allison!"

Yami shot Yugi a strange and confused look, "Allison?"

"My 1970, Dodge Challenger!" Yugi whined, before rolling his head into his hands, and massaging his temples.

"_You_ named your _car_?" Yami asked him cautiously, and jolted backwards when Yugi's head whipped up at him angrily.

"Yes I named my fucking car!" He yelled out loudly. "After the first whore I fucked in it! What the fuck does it matter?"

"Okay, okay…just calm down Yugi…" Yami said gently, waving a series of calming gestures at his younger twin, who looked just about ready to have an emotional breakdown, while throwing a nervous glance at the direction in which Tea had left in, hoping that she hadn't been alarmed by Yugi's outburst.

"I can't fucking calm down! Do you have any idea what it's like to walk around in someone else's vomit and your car's ashes? Huh, do you? Because if you don't then just shut the fuck up!"

Yami opened his mouth to say something, but Yugi stopped him, with another irritable outburst, "I don't want to hear any of your bullshit wise cracks!"

"Actually, I was just going to ask you if you wanted another shirt…that's all," Yami responded quietly, holding his younger twin's angry and miserable gaze.

"Yeah I'd love one, but there's one big fucking problem! How the fuck am I going to get this one off?" Yugi spat irritably, which Yami knew was not directed at him, but rather at the situation, as Yugi tugged at the clean sides of his shirt.

He rose from his seat and casually walked over to the back of his younger twin's, and looked him over. "Take your jacket off." Yugi grudgingly, shrugged out his jacket and tossed it to the side a little harshly, before waiting impatiently for Yami to do whatever he wanted to do, when he felt his brother's hands grab the base by his neck with both his hands and tore it open from behind.

"There…you owe me two new shirts now," he commented dryly, before walking back to over to his seat.

"Thanks," Yugi mumbled under his breath, before tearing the rest of his way out.

"Your welcome…how did training with Lamia go at least?" Yami asked him, while propping his elbow up on the couch's armrest and leaning his cheek against a closed fist.

"'Girl's got a major attitude problem," Yugi commented before peeling the rest of the shirt away, "Though I'll admit I didn't make things much better when I cancelled our 'meeting' for tomorrow night."

Yami looked at him in surprise, "You cancelled it, why?"

Yugi grinned sheepishly, before slowly meeting Yami's gaze, "I um…_got __a __date_."

Yami laughed at him disbelievingly to which Yugi soon, nervously joined in. "Yeah," Yami snorted, "Right…seriously though, why?"

Yugi laughed, "I am being serious."

"Ha, ha, ha, Yugi, come on," Yami grinned, and rolled his eyes.

"Hehe…ah," Yugi trailed off before looking to the side, and fidgeted slightly, when he heard Yami gasp.

"Oh my Ra, you're not kidding…"

"No…no, I'm not…" Yugi finished.

"Wow, I never thought I'd live to see the day that you converted to the dating-society's ways," Yami said in awe.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "_Fuck __off_! Listen I'm staying here tonight, so please keep it PG up there, and if you need me, _don__'__t __look __for __me __in __the __bottom __floor__'__s __spare __bedroom_…goodnight!"

"Who's the girl?" Yami called after him, before he left the room.

"None of your fucking business!" Yugi mumbled back, before disappearing out of sight.

"Will we meet 'none of your fucking business,' tomorrow?" Yami asked in a low voice that only Yugi would have been able to hear, unable to help a smirk from forming onto his lips.

'_Yami__…__go __fuck __yourself,__' _came Yugi's irritated, mental voice.

* * *

**Sheesh, are you as tired as I am after reading all that? Haha! Anyway, how many of you were all suprised to come across the second lemon? That's my peace offering to all of you who have been waiting so patiently for me to update! I hope you enjoyed it. And man, Yugi really dealt with a lot, that's karma in its finest form. **

**Now pay attention reviewers, because this is very, very, veeeeery important. I realy need your help and insight on this, so please don't ignore me! I'd love to put another lemon in the next chapter, but I want to know from you guys specifically who it should be between. I love a challenge - so bring it on! The pairing with most votes win. (and if you're struggling with this decision to respond or not just ask yourselves...what would Yugi do?) [hmm...wonder if they're going to fall for that?]**

**On another note - ILoveManicures, I promise that 'Even Angels Fall' will be updated soon, I just need to go over it again and then proof read it. **

**On a whole thank you to everyone who took the time to read chapter 18, and I hope to see you again soon with chapter 19. Love you lots**

**XOXO...;-)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey Guys! Okay yeah I know I'm in trouble, trust me I'm booing myself here too! It's just been chaos since Christmas with my folks, and moving into my new apartment, and preparing for the next semister. I'd also like to apologize ahead of time for my lack of creativity in this chapter, because it had me in tears of frustration by the time I was done with it. I'm also going to...(hide behind this bullet proof shield)...apologize for the absent love scene that I promised you, my reasons being that since this is the month of love, you'll be more in the mood for a lot of smut on Valentine's day...I promise I'll update by then (You have my word seriously.) But anyway, I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter anyway, as well as another - and totally lame - Yugi rip off song, which I strongly advise you listen to the real version of, because well...I ruined it. Sorry Puff Daddy. **

**Shout out to - I Love Manicures! I dug your long review and glad that you enjoyed chapter 18 so much. Seriously, my sister and I were like literally fighting over the laptop to see who'd get to read it first, and then we were like wow, it's the longest ever written...you should get an award for that. Thanks buddy!**

**As for all my other wonderful! incredible! (And non lethal) huggable, loveable and simply awsome reviewers, thank you all so much for your support, I love you all, and owe you all for making my day. Especially new reviewers, Cindy and RJ (Rose Jane). You guys all rock!**

**AN: Okay, okay, story time...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the super special awsome show, Yu-gi-oh.**

**Rating: T...it has a very mild orange.**

* * *

**Chapter 19 **

A heavy and dry, desert scented breeze, drifted in through the doorway that led onto the balcony soundlessly, wafting aside the silky drapes that hung over its entrance and gently caressed Tea's smooth, bare skin, awaking her gently, from a dreamless sleep. She tiredly fluttered her sapphire glazed eyes open, to a strange world, and gazed around at her unfamiliar surroundings, which all seemed royally grand and ancient, as though she had travelled back in time, several thousand years.

However, she curiously, remained indifferent to the unusualness of her surroundings, as the only worrisome thought that crossed her mind was that Yami wasn't lying beside her like he should have been. Frowning slightly, she slowly pulled back the white silk sheet that hugged her body, until she managed to slip it off, and gracefully climbed out the bed, which was unusually oval shaped and hidden from view by a tirade of silky drapes cascading from the ceiling in white and gold colours.

Her bare feet touched cold stone, and she briefly glanced down to take notice of a bronze, tiled floor, that sparkled as though it had just been finely polished. Remembering Yami, her hand rose up to the side of her face where she absently stroked away a strand of hair, and then lightly caressed the side of her cheek, before closing her eyes and imaging his gentle touch. She began to trail several intricate patterns along the bare surface of her skin, starting from her cheek to along her jaw line, to the tip of her chin, and then down the length of her throat to her collar bone, before finally dragging the trail down to the groove between her breasts, sighing in contempt. This was how Yami had touched her the night before, with his dark, scarlet eyes gazing intently into hers before they had made love.

Vivid images of Yami taking her by the waist, and placing her on his lap, before pressing her up against his dark tanned and godly toned chest, as he planted hungry kisses on her neck, awakened in her misty memory. She could faintly feel each phantom touch on her skin, such as the hardness of his member nudging against her entrance through the silk cloth that held them separate, as well as his roaming hands roughly caressing her thighs. It was due to these that she suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to be with him, wanting to be nowhere else in the world, but in his arms. Her eyes immediately snapped open as an idea on where he could be, dawned on her.

Of course, he would be in the royal chambers.

She darted out the room, passing several remarkable sights, without truly seeing or taking in their true splendour. She breezed through many rooms, which stood grandly above her form, which suddenly seemed so tiny and insignificant in comparison to the tall walls and high arches that seemed to reach the edges of heaven, before the ceiling closed off their ascent. She also failed to take notice of the beautiful, painted ceramic floor tiles, or the magnificent furniture and pottery that decorated the rooms she crossed through, not even taking a moment to marvel at the softness of the rugs, which felt so much different to the synthetic kinds bought in the stores in the modern world. The only time she did stop to marvel something, was when she reached Yami's room, closed off to her by an enormous double door, which was made entirely out of pure gold and priceless red rubies.

There was something familiar about the door, which she recognized subconsciously by means of a sudden warm and sentimental sensation that coursed through her being, as she gazed at the carved image of a man like figure, with a falcon's head and wore a large sun disk as a headdress. For a single moment she was able to go back to the memory of the museum date with Yami, and remembered that he had pointed this carved figure out to her, as the sun god Ra. However, before the differences between that reality and this ancient one she was experiencing dawned on her, she became distracted by the door's sudden parting as it opened just a few inches, _by itself_.

As eerily strange as it was, she didn't ponder over it, and instead just pushed it all the way open, before floating in through them with a warm smile on her face and called out his name in a hushed, and breezy voice that seemed almost transparent and faraway to her own hearing. Almost instantly the colouring seemed to darken and grey, as all the happiness and light hearted energy in the room's atmosphere seemed to drain and fade out, taking on a gloomy edge. She immediately sensed the changed, and shivered in slight fear, but her heart was set on finding Yami, both knowing and relying on her instinctive intuition that he would make her feel safe again.

Putting on a strained, but frightened smile, she made her way into his grand and royally decorated chamber, stiffly pulling away several loose hanging and semi-transparent, beaded drapes out the way, which made a light tingling, bell sound behind her, as she made her way over to his oversized golden four-poster bed. She called out his name, but only her lips moved, as her voice evaporated into the hot, musky air that was somehow becoming increasingly claustrophobic within the room.

There was no answer, and suddenly it became, for Tea, like watching an old fashioned silent horror film, as all the sounds around her, became absolutely dead silent.

Subconsciously her instincts were screaming at her, warning her not to draw back the veil that was hiding the gold bed from sight, but just as before, her limbs moved without her consent, just like she couldn't wipe off the almost relieved smile on her lips at the thought of being near to him… to have him take her into his arms again…to protect her from the obvious danger she was sensing. It was as though she were in a semi conscious trance.

Her panicked mind's eye, watched in terror as her finger tips gently clasped around the soft fabric, and pulled it swiftly to the side, exposing the sight of Yami's bed. For the first time since she had sensed the disturbance of this strange reality, she felt genuine terror swell up within her gut, as a high pitched and terrified scream exploded from her throat.

_Blood!_ And so much of it, soaked through the once white linen sheets…_his blood_! She didn't know how she knew it, she just knew, and the realization of this, came to her with such overwhelming force that any hopeful denial about it, was shoved completely from her mind. She covered her face with both her hands and stepped away from the grizzly sight, trying to block what she had seen futilely. Blood streaked the veils that hid the bed from sight, as well as his gold silk pillows, and even the wall the bed was rested against. She screamed again, and thrust her body around in order to run for help, but her body remained frozen and unable to move, as though gravity held her to the spot. She tried to fight back, but it was like walking through quick sand, waist deep, and overpowering.

Suddenly two sides of the room started to glow differently in colour. One side became vibrant in a golden, orange and red like glow, whereas the other became dark and dingy, both sides seeming to reach out towards her with mist like claws. As these two forces seemed to rush in at her like warriors to a battle, she sensed someone, _or something_, approach her from behind…something evil and dangerous. She jolted in her restraint, and suddenly realized what was holding her in place. She glanced down with wide, terrified eyes, and saw a pair, of lightly tanned, pale arms, gripping her sides, with sharp, black claws, embedded deeply into her skin, so much that dark stains of blood were pooling around them.

The floor started to shake around her, and she fearfully glanced back at who held her captive, feeling her heart rate accelerate to critical, when she met face to face with the smug and terrifying face, of her vampire captor…Bakura. She immediately took note of his eyes, which were by far the most unnatural and evilest pair, she had ever seen. His pupils had slit into an almost evil snake like sharpness, and his irises slowly changed from their light brown shade, to a gray and white one, seeming eerily like the eyes of a dead fish. His lips curled up into a mean smirk, fully exposing his long and lethal fangs.

Tea tried to scream and pull away from him, but she was frozen in fear, unable to look away from his cold, dead eyes. However, just as she had grown as about accustomed as she could to his unnatural appearing eyes, they had started to bleed. Long, almost black trails of dark blood pooled from the corners of his eyes, and swirled around his irises, changing them from white, to a gruesome rusty colour. He gave a low, almost satisfied growl, which rumbled in his chest like a warning a volcano would give before exploding, sounding like hurricane thunder as the storm approached. Speck of clotted blood gushed from his mouth and spluttered across her face, making her cry out in both disgust and terror.

He dragged her body up closer to him, and growled in a demonic voice, which wasn't even remotely close to the normal voice that she knew, was his. "I warned you to forget about Prince Atem while you still could! Now you die!" and with that, he tore out her throat with his fangs, stifling her screams...

* * *

"Tea, come back to me," Yami gently coaxed her out her dream, by whispering her name softly and gently stroking the side of her forehead. She followed the warm sound of his voice, and woke up breathing hard, with her heart pounding painfully against her chest and her cheeks burning red from the partly dried and freshly topped tears that were cascading from her eyes. Yami tightened his hold around her and pulled her body more firmly against his, which was more of an impulse than an actual productive thought. "It's okay Tea, you're safe."

She gulped painfully as realization set in that it had all been a dream, a really horrible and bad dream, and she immediately rolled over onto her back and stared up at Yami with wide, frightened eyes. "Y-Yami!"

Yami's eyes widened with worry as he stroked the side of her face, "It's alright, you're alright-"

She jolted upright and into him, violently clawing onto him as though he were her lifeboat and she was sinking…briefly forgetting that he was still hurt. Yami winced slightly in pain, but made no sound, and silently stroked the back of her head, trying to release the tension in his muscles so that he wouldn't alarm her, as she cried into his bare chest.

"Y-Y-Yami…" she sobbed, "I-I…the blood!" She made a choking sound, before a new flood of tears sprang from her tightly shut eyes, and Yami forced himself to pull her further into his protective embrace, despite the incredible pain it was causing him. "T-there w-wa-was, ss-so m-much…"

Yami gently kissed the side of her neck, before giving her a gentle squeeze. "It's okay now Tea, I'm right here, it was just a nightmare-"

"It felt so real," Tea choked, before resting her forehead against his collarbone. "I thought you were…" She gulped, unable to even imagine what it would have been like to lose Yami that way. However, scarily enough, she almost felt as though she could imagine it, and quite accurately too, almost as though it had already happened to her, and this, being with Yami right then, was in fact the real dream.

Yami ingeniously connected the dots and pretty much figured out the basics of the dream, before giving her a small, brave smile, which he hoped would ease her fears away. "It's okay Tea, it was just a bad dream…see?" He first stroked the side of her face, before claiming her lips with his, in a soft and gentle kiss.

A lot of the tension in her muscles relaxed, as she moulded into him and the kiss, relishing at the fiery sensation of his touch against her skin, which was too real to be a dream. She allowed him to dominate the kiss without much of a fight, and it was as though he had the power to kiss away the very memory of her nightmare, as its details became sketchy and practically faded away to the darkest corners of her memory.

Yami hesitantly pulled away from her, and smiled at her lovingly with only a small gap between them. "There…are you feeling a little bit better now? You had me worried you know," Yami whispered to her in a husky voice.

"I…I'm sorry," Tea apologized, before turning away from his gaze. "I didn't-"

"Hey," Yami whispered lowly, before stroking her shoulder in a slow soothing motion, "Don't be sorry, just tell me what happened in your dream that made you so scared?"

Tea frowned slightly as she tried to remember, but the only thing that popped up, was a river of blood gushing around her. "I…I don't remember…just that there was a lot of blood. And you were…you weren't there."

Yami embraced her protectively, and began to stroke her back soothingly, giving her time to catch her breath back and recover from her ordeal in comfortable silence, before she broke it. "Please don't ever leave me Yami…" Tea whispered, the words leaving her lips before she could properly process her thoughts.

For some reason the words sent a chill up his spine, and Yami lowered his concerned gaze to hers, with a slight frown that indicated his confusion. "Don't leave you Tea?"

She bit her lip, before turning her gaze to look to the other side of the room, staring at nothing in particular as she tried to figure out how to put what she was feeling into words. Don't ever die on me? Live forever so that I will never feel that pain…All things she could never fairly ask of him. Defeated, she slowly shook her head from side to side, before giving him a tired, sad and strained smile that reeked of falseness. "Never mind…I'm sorry that I woke you up."

Yami frowned slightly, before softening his gaze and immediately shook his head. "You didn't, I was already up and watching you sleep… but Tea-"

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him, and gave him a more, genuine appearing smile. "Shhh… I'm okay, really," she whispered, before biting her lip a little shyly, "Could you please hold me, until I fall asleep again? I'll feel a lot safer…"

Yami kissed her finger and lightened his gaze, before gently nodding in acknowledgement of her shy request, deciding to leave his private thoughts for a later discussion. He carefully wrapped an arm around her waist, and lay back down on his side of the bed, holding her gaze with his warm one. "I'll hold you close till morning, and this time no dream's going to be able to sneak passed me and take you away again." After hearing him say that, Tea smiled at him lovingly and kissed him, before closing her eyes and soon fell back into a deep sleep.

For the rest of the night, she didn't dream at all.

* * *

**(And now – performing Puff Daddy's hit song 'I'll be missing you' – The vampires – In memory of Ally.)**

**Verse one**; Yugi (AKA - _Puff Vampie_)

Yeah…this right here…goes out to everyone who has lost their car that they truly love…uh huh

Seems like yesterday we used to rock the show

We raced the track, drove with the flow

Thought it would be forever, but no

Notorious, everyone's got to know that

Life ain't always what it seems to be (Yami; that's right)

Words can't express what you meant to me

Even though you're gone, we're still a team

With you're old parts, I'll fulfil our dream (Yami; that's right)

In the future, can't wait to see

If you open up the 'garage' for me

Reminisce some time, like the night they bombed my friend (Yami; uh-huh…_karma_…_just saying_)

Try to black it out but it plays again

When it's real, (like) bruises hard to conceal (Yami; _deserved it_)

Can't imagine all the pain I feel (Yugi; _fuck you!_)

Give anything to hear half your engine's breath (Yami; half your breath…_what the fuck is that line supposed to mean?)_

I know you're still racing your life, after death

**Chorus;** Lamia (AKA - _Snowy_)

Every step I take, (Yugi; woohoo) every move I make (Yugi; woohoo)

Every single day, every time I pray

I'll be missing you

Thinking of the days, when you drove away

What a life to take, what a bond to break

I'll be missing you.

**Verse Two;** Yugi (_Puff Vampie_ bitch!)

I miss you Ally…yeah

It's kinda hard with you not around (Yami; yeah)

Know you're heaven honking down (Yami; eheh)

Watching me while I drive on without you

Everyday I'm missing you (Yami; _for Ra's sake it's only been a night you dork_)

Till the day we meet again

In my heart is where I'll keep your keys

Memories give me the strength I need (Yami – uh huh) to proceed

Strength I need to believe

My thoughts Ally, I just can't define (Yami; he can't defiiii'ne!..._no surprises there)_

Wish I could turn back the hands of time

Us in the auto shop for new parts and kicks

You and me picking up super hot chicks (Yami; _girls you had to pay for right_?)

Stopping traffic on whatever street we were on

Still can't believe you're really gone (Lamia; can't believe you're gone)

Give anything to hear half your engine's breath (Yami; half your breath…_seriously what the fuck does that mean?)_

I know you're still racing your life, after death

**Chorus;** Lamia (_Call me Snowy one more time_…)

Every step I take, (Yugi; woohoo) every move I make (Yugi; oooo yeah)

Every single day, every time I pray

I'll be missing you

Thinking of the days, when you drove away

To the big garage up in a sky so blue

He'll be missing you

**Mini hearse-uh verse three**; Lamia…(_just Lamia_)

Somebody tell me why

One black evening

When this life is over

I know

I'll see your headlights glowing on

**Background vocal verse**; Yami (AKA _Vamp Suckular_!)

Every night I pray, every step I take

Every move I make, every single day

Every night I pray, every step I take (_okay, I'll just keep repeating these verses from now on)_

**Yugi**; Every day that passes

Every move I make, every single day

**Yugi**; Is a day I get closer…to driving you again

Every night I pray, every step I take

**Yugi**; We miss you Ally…and we won't stop

Every move I make, every single day (_we won't stop because he won't stop bitching bout it)_

**Yugi**; Cause we can't stop…that's right

Every night I pray, every step I take

Every move I make, every single day (Ra when is this song going to end?…)

**Yugi**; we miss you Ally

**Verse four**; Lamia

Every step I take, every move I make

Every single day, every time I pray

I'll be missing you

Thinking of the day, when you drove away

What a classic to take, what a bond to break

We'll be painfully missing you

Every step I take, every move I make

Every single day, every time I pray

The readers wonder why we're missing you

Thinking of the day, when you drove away

I didn't know you then, I don't know you now,

But somehow I'm missing you…?

Every step I take, every move I make

Every single day, every time I pray

We'll be missing you

Thinking of the day, when you drove away

What a car to take, what a bond to break

What's he going to drive now?

**Yugi**;…_Tell the world you're __**coming home**__ soon Ra damn it!_

* * *

(_Three years ago_)

The young woman whimpered weakly as he drained the last few pints of blood from her body, which had already grown cold and limp in his loose hold. Yugi didn't know anything about her, and didn't care to either, though he had hunted her down specifically. She was an easy target, an irresistible temptation, one that he could not ignore while on the hunt. She had clearly being a foreigner, seeming lost and confused in the deserted streets of Aswan, all alone and predictably vulnerable. Yugi had immediately noted her nervous, skittish behaviour, which automatically sparked off his predatory instincts, as her actions seemed to scream for it.

First, he played with her in a cat and mouse game; using his abilities to make her see things until eventually he had her trapped in a corner. He had only hesitated for a second, when he had first laid eyes on her in full view, momentarily taken aback at how beautiful she was, but recovered quickly, when the need to feed, became too great. After that, he finished up quickly, and drained her until she was mostly dry, before becoming bored with the taste and allowed her to fall from his arms, distastefully licking the insides of his mouth as he tried to rid the unfavourable taste from it.

He only spared her body, one final glance, just to pay respect to her fallen beauty, before he sensed the approach of another vampire, luckily one that was familiar to him. Mahad stepped out from the shadows at a respectable distance, having allowed the young prince privacy during his feeding, while still being able to guard him, as such was his responsibility if any of their enemy clans dared to enter their territory. His eyes automatically darted over to the drained girl's body, taking note of her features in habit, although he already knew what he'd see.

The young prince had a very specific taste of the woman he preyed on, whether he was aware of it or not. They were all dark haired and young, often between the ages of fifteen and twenty, and generally shorter than average. This particular girl was no different, with long hair that spread out to the ends of her elbows in a shade that was as dark as a starless sky, and pale skin that was as light as a full moon. What was strange though, was that her heart was still beating, although very faint. "My Prince, did the taste of her blood not satisfy you?"

Yugi scoffed at his question and violently tugged his leather jacket into organisation, before turning to smirk meanly at Mahad, "Of course it didn't. Finding a virgin is so hard these days…_this one tasted like a prostitute_." He began to casually stroll up to Mahad, with his hands in his pockets, until he eventually fell into step beside the tall warrior, who used to be some all-important sorcerer of his father's during the ancient times. The elder vampire bowed respectfully at the approach of the young prince, though his thoughts played on the young vampire's last words. Had the young prince not had his chance to devour the richest and purest of virgin blood when he came across the window of a young eight year old child, still so angelically pure and beautiful, but had instead gone after the girl with tainted blood?

However, Mahad wisely chose not to voice his thoughts, remembering Yugi's new found and violent temper, and instead turned his attention elsewhere. "You wish to leave her alive?" he asked uncaringly, not really concerned about her well being since it was evident that she had no chance of surviving anyway.

Yugi shrugged indifferently. "She won't be alive much longer regardless, and besides I cannot stomach any more of that tainted taste," he muttered in disgust.

Mahad nodded in understanding, remembering all too clearly of his unquenched thirst for virgin blood in the early days that followed his transformation. The prince was still quite young to the life of darkness, having only been a true vampire for six months, and he knew from experience that it would take years for him to grow accustomed to 'tainted' tastes. However, there was something more important that he had been tasked with that night, than dealing with Yugi's fussiness. "My Prince, there is something I need to speak to you of-"

"I'm not in the mood," Yugi answered simply, rudely interrupting the elder warrior.

Mahad blinked once, "My Prince, I have not yet told you what I needed to-"

"Don't care, it's boring," Yugi growled in response, before leaping up into the air and smashing out a streetlight's globe, just for the fun of it, and landed on his feet gracefully like a cat, while glass showered over him.

Mahad had to cautiously strain himself from losing his temper and ripping Yugi's head off for being so ignorant. "It concerns your brother, my Liege."

Yugi paused in his destructive activity, after having trampled the glass into a fine, shiny powder, and turned to glare at Mahad over his shoulder. "What about _Yami_?"

Mahad gestured out to the desert, which was in the opposite direction of their tomb. "If you will, your Highness, please follow me." With those words he sped off into the night, appearing as nothing more than a black blur, until he reached the destination, in which he had been tasked to lead the young prince to. Yugi had followed reluctantly, not enjoying that he had had to be lead by someone who was in essence, _beneath him_, but didn't voice it. He glanced around at their new surroundings with an unimpressed, raised eyebrow, as it viewed as nothing more than a sandy clearing, surrounded by tall sand dunes, and a simple rock formation that looked exactly like several hundred others in the Sahara desert. _There was nothing special about it at all_.

Mahad however, knew that there was more to this place than what met the eye, as he himself had been involved with the construction of the secret, thousands of years ago. Being as great a magician as he had been, Mahad knew the secrets of light and darkness, as well as using it to his advantage. Although plainly seen during the night, the location was completely invisible to the naked eye during the day, which was why none of the pesky archaeologists had been able to find it, and presently weren't poking their unwanted noses in it. He moved over to the rock formation, and triggered a well hidden lever that opened a secret sinkhole beneath them. Sand gushed inward and fell from sight, leaving nothing more than an ominous appearing hole, which looked too much like a giant mouth that wanted to be fed, for Yugi's comfort, as he inconspicuously took a small, wary step back.

"I have a question for you Mahad; why in Ra's name do you expect me to go down with you into a dirty, black hole, that smells of death and stale air, to discuss my brother Atem, while he remains sulking and confined to his room?" Yugi asked in evident annoyance, folding his arms with an angry huff, wondering what could be so important.

Mahad wisely ignored the younger's attitude and dutifully continued, "Forgive me sire, but the Pharaoh and Lord Aknadin have requested that you learn-"

"Learn?" Yugi exclaimed incredulously, before giving into a dark fit of laughter, which was far meaner and horrifically unpleasant, compared his old, lighter one that Mahad had remembered him having, before his change. "My days of studying are long over Mahad, and I can think of many things I would rather learn about than my boring twin brother anyway!"

Mahad clenched and unclenched his jaw in an attempt to keep his calm and patient composure, and shook his head when he was finally ready to deal with the insolent little brat. "It is not Prince Atem that I'm referring to, my Prince…"

The wind suddenly seemed to eerily pick up at the strange vibe Mahad's words gave, and Yugi eyed his taller companion with a suspicious glare, though he already knew what Mahad's next words were going to be, _and didn't want to hear them_.

"It is your _other_ brother I speak of."

* * *

Yugi's eyes opened slowly, before he immediately blinked them shut again, as a massive headache erupted from the core of his brain, practically paralyzing him. Groaning in absolute regret, he daringly shifted slightly in his bed, and found himself to be completely bound by a white sheet that had managed to tightly wrap itself around him like a python, and hold him captive while he slept. He clumsily jerked his arm out to the side and knocked an almost, empty glass bottle of Jack Daniels from the night stand beside him, sending it to the floor with a loud clang that instantly made him cover his ears.

"Mmmmmoww unnnnn…" he complained in pain, with his eyes shut tightly, and blood boiling through his veins. He had been up most of the night sulking in his dark, sun blocked, tinted window room, drinking himself '_better_' while watching some crappy porn on a flat screen, with the worst acting he had ever seen, and a bag of chips…all the while, mourning the loss of his car.

Worse yet, was that what had awakened him, was the terrible and Ra awful buzzing of his cellphone, which had a horrendous vibrating sound - that was driving him insane - and would continue to make it until he finally picked up…and he was definitely not in the mood or the condition to get up from the bed (the only thing in the room that wasn't moving), which he unfortunately needed to do, because it wasn't next to him like it should have been…in fact he couldn't even remember what he had done with it.

But he sure as hell could hear it.

Getting up from the bed with a classic drunk's clumsiness, resulting in him somersaulting off the wrong end of the bed, and tiredly fighting his way out the python like sheet, before crawling out of it like a caterpillar…Yugi began to follow his aching hearing to help him locate his misplaced cellphone on his hands and knees, cursing like a sailor, until he eventually found it in the pocket of his torn, discarded pants, but one look at the caller ID immediately had him reeling away from it as though it shocked him. He really didn't feel like this right now, it would be just too much after a very bad night. He silently watched, without doing anything, as the caller went to voice mail, which according to the network had already been the fourth time that morning._ He was going to be extremely pissed_…

Yugi cringed uncomfortably as he waited for his phone to start ringing again, but this time only an alert came through, informing him that someone had left him a message on voice mail. That, was somehow even worse, providing him only with one of two options; Listen to the message now and immediately return the call like what was expected of him, or be a coward and listen to the message later…

"Be a coward," Yugi grumbled, before closing his phone and flinging it back onto the bed, deciding that the phrase 'no better time than the present' was vastly overrated. "I might be a weasel in comparison to an eagle, but at least weasels don't get sucked into jet engines," he muttered at the phone, as though it had personally offended him. He then yawned tiredly and glanced over at the clock on the night stand, and frowned. He was waking up earlier and earlier lately, throwing his nocturnal sleeping patterns completely out of order, which was definitely going to start catching up with him in the near future. Something, which he probably could not actually afford.

He stretched out his limbs like a cat, before scratching the back of his head and looking around the room, which seemed almost vandalised with the destruction he caused during his drunken outburst. He also wondered briefly where the hell all the socks came from, and what they were doing in his room…_and why_, as hundreds of different pairs and colours were spread out across the room, dangling from the ceiling fan and shelves, as well as decorated the floor like a messy rainbow.

_Strange_…

Yugi shrugged, finding it to painful to think about or try to remember what he'd gotten up to the night before. Not only that, but he was well aware that he did strange things when he was majorly hammered, and had grown quite used to waking up with such scenarios the next day. A needy tingle trembled within the inner muscles of his throat, before a light, but easily bearable burn commanded his attention, acting as the vampire equivalent of a tummy rumble.

Feeling peckish, Yugi decided to leave his room to get what he considered to technically be a midnight snack for himself, despite the fact that it was nearing two hours till dawn, and walked across what seemed to serve as an open plan entertainment lounge and mini bar-like thing that opened up to an indoor barbeque patio, which also served as a private indoor garden. Thinking more about it, it suddenly occurred to Yugi how vampire friendly the mansion seemed to be, as several coincidental factors seemed to pop up in his mind unexpectedly. First, the house was completely secluded with a natural salty shield protecting it. Second, the previous owner had had the windows UV protected, which gave them a slightly darker tint than normal glass windows, and also had remote controlled dark blinds that completely blocked out the light for additional comfort. And third, most of the normal outdoor utilities were also made indoors, such as the private indoor gardens and pool. It was a whole three in one, package deal.

This should have made him suspicious, but Yugi's hangover prevented him from giving it too much further thought, other than, 'whoa, nice!' as he made his way over to the kitchen and straight to the freezer. It took him a minute to remember how to open a freezer door again, and then another minute to remember, which one of the two stainless steel freezers was the one they used to the blood bags. After eventually finding what he needed, he shook his head in disbelief, briefly wondering why he let this happen time and time again. By now, he was well aware of the evils of alcohol, and its painful consequences, and yet he knew that he'd do it again. Was it really, as Yami had put it, just plain stupidity?

A brief memory flashed through his mind about the time he had been out on a drinking rampage, and had somehow locked himself in the trunk of his car, before passing out in it, hugging a bottle of tequila to his chest like a teddy bear. Although he had intended to remember that day for a good chuckle about his previous misfortunes, he instead, almost felt like crying, as once again Ally plagued his mind. He had really loved that car…but it wasn't just about his ride, it was about _everything_!

Those bastards were going to pay if he ever found them. Blood, sweat and lots of girl's…_uh_…went into that car, lots of fond memories, lots of hard work, and so much more that had taken so much time to build, and yet a group of dumbass punks blew it all away in a couple of seconds…and not in the good way. He'd kill them if he ever found them; fuck Yami's rules and conditions. He refused to allow any human to openly belittle him and claim supremacy; especially low filth such as they that even their own kind looked down on.

Instead of punching a straw into the bag or finding a glass to pour his blood in, Yugi angrily ripped it open with his teeth and savagely downed it in one go before flinging it across the room to a waiting trashcan.

Right now…_he hated every single one of them_.

* * *

Yami had been up for hours, unable to get back to sleep after a nightmare of his own, long before Tea had endured her nightmare. His was the same bad dream that had plagued him throughout the many nights that had followed Yugi's transformation, and sometimes even still plagued him while he was awake. It had left him breathless and anxious, but after an hour of watching Tea sleep, his thoughts had become lighter and more, pleasant…until she of course began to tremble and moan in distress.

Once dawn approached however, he could no longer stay in bed, having always been unable to remain inactive for too long a period of time, but still kept his promise to Tea and waited for morning to part from her. At first everything went smoothly for him, as he carefully detached himself from her and rolled over to the other side of the bed, accidentally getting up too fast for his recovering wounds. A white hot searing pain tore through his chest at an awkward angle, causing him to gasp through clenched teeth, and he suddenly became painfully aware of the consequences of his intimate activities with Tea the night before.

Biting his tongue to prevent an unmanly groan escape his lips, he slowly climbed off the bed with a lot more care than the last attempt, and succeeded through a pained wince. It felt as though the soft tissue below his left rib cage had been torn apart, and his chest ached so much that he was now sure he knew what a heart attack felt like, as the pain seemed to constrict painfully in that general area without loosing up or easing away in the slightest.

Being careful, not to wake up his sleeping love, he crept out the room silently, and used the wall to support his weight, as he practically staggered down to the stairway, grudgingly deciding that he needed blood. When he reached the kitchen, he found his eyebrows rising in surprise, upon discovering his younger twin, sitting at the table, centred in the middle of the room, watching TV, which hung from the ceiling on the left side of it. There was a dark aura around him, and Yami could sense the negativity swirling around him in black tendrils, which was both angry and gloomily depressed.

"Um…morning?" Yami mumbled, as he rubbed sleep from his eyes, and winced at the sharpened surge of pain in his chest.

Yugi grumbled something unintelligible, which Yami took as some type of response, before he made his way over to the second freezer, eyeing Yugi carefully. Yugi was once again shirtless, and was dressed only in boxers, which had what appeared to be skulls on fire, decorated on it. Beside him was his shiny black cellphone, with a picture of a car as its screensaver, and every now and then, Yugi's eyes would trail away from the flat TV screen, to glance at the picture on the phone, with an almost pitiful longing gaze, before he'd quickly return them to the screen.

"What's wrong with you, bad night?" Yami asked in a somewhat casual tone, still in too much pain to make any accurate assumptions.

"Best night of my fucking life," Yugi grumbled irritably, before flicking through channels, without really seeing what was on them.

"That's good," Yami mumbled in response without giving too much thought to his words, as he pried out a blood bag from the special cooler-compartment, and closed the freezer door.

"No wonder you don't watch TV, it's fucking depressing," Yugi growled, his tone seeming angrier than the last. "There's about four hundred fucking channels, but not one of them has anything decent enough to be called entertainment!"

"Have you tried Cartoon Network? Maybe Ben Ten's on," Yami recommended dryly, before pouring the blood out of the bag into a plain black coffee mug.

"Fuck off Yami," Yugi growled. "That's a sorry excuse for a kid's show!"

Yami frowned slightly, as he got the last of the blood out of the bag into the mug, and threw his brother a quick glance. "What's wrong with it?" Truthfully, he had never seen the show, Ben 10 himself, only the trademark merchandise and of course by word of mouth as he passed by several of the show's fans, catching snippets of their conversations, but from what he understood, it didn't sound so bad, and most _kids _loved it.

"The girls aren't attractive, their love scenes suck ass, their action scenes suck even more, I mean you don't even see blood! And come on, the plot man! A kid's wristwatch that doesn't even tell the time turns him into one of ten aliens. That's bullshit, who the hell would want to watch that? _It's practically about a guy whose stylish accessory makes him bipolar_."

Yami rolled his eyes, "First of all Yugi, it's a kid's show, _not porn_, sorry to disappoint you on behalf of the parental faculty who don't want their kids turning out like you. Second, you should be able to identify with the character; he's also got ten different alter egos that he can slip into when he feels the need for it."

Yugi grumbled something that Yami probably didn't want to hear anyway before he landed on the Discovery Channel, which was featuring an episode on Ancient Egypt. "Look's like they're running a marathon on Egyptian history today," Yugi commented dryly, which almost sounded annoyed. "Earlier they had an item on the theory that our people were actually aliens, who came from another planet, to build the pyramids."

"Well that finally explains where you came from," Yami said through a smirk as he heated his blood in the microwave. "The question I've been asking myself for years has finally being answered."

"Hardy ha, ha, ha…" Yugi grumbled sarcastically, "And fuck you." He flicked through several other channels, before the bright image of a blue, unidentifiable, costumed figure hopped along the screen. "Oh my fucking Ra," Yugi drawled out in a toneless voice that seemed pained. "You have got to be kidding me."

Yami looked behind him at what was happening on the screen, and immediately felt like responding in the same way Yugi had. "Eh-oh!" the blue 'thing' said in a deep manly voice, as it stared into the camera with a pair of dark, black eyes and seemed to have a triangular shaped thing on the top of its head. Suddenly the show's narrator seemed to fill in the blanks of what was going on, _'Tinky-winky has come to play…' _

"Ooo, Tinky-Winky play! Tinky-winky play!" the thing responded, while performing a little wiggling jive, like a lunatic.

"What the hell is that thing?" Yami asked, staring at the little blue weirdo on screen, with a wary gaze, as though he expected it to climb through the screen, with the intention to rape them.

"An alien maybe?" Yugi suggested, with the first sign of genuine humour that Yami had heard from him all day.

Yami couldn't help but grin, "Must be from the same race as our descendents who built the pyramids."

"Not a fucking chance, this thing looks as thick as pig-shit," Yugi grumbled, as he continued to watch.

Said alien, suddenly pulled out a red handbag of sorts, and began jumping around the set, speaking in broken English about how much he loved his 'magic bag,' causing both twins mouths to gape open in blank disbelief.

"Is this purple gumball gay?" Yugi choked, before raising an eyebrow at the rest of the colourful figures that were running onto the screen, his eyes picking out one in particular, which flaunted a lime green colour and had a long dip stick antenna on his head. _What the fuck is that_?

Yami pondered over Yugi's question for a silent minute, while taking a few small sips from his mug, before answering. "I think the name _Tinky-Winky_ is self explanatory."

Yugi snorted, "So you're telling me that showing something as natural as blood in a show like Ben 10 when one of the characters get fucked up, is a no-no…but having a gay alien thing, walking around with a red handbag when it's clearly a guy, for kids younger than…I'd say about four, is an A-okay? That's fucked up! Watch out _Greenie_, he might have something else in mind for what you could use that stick on your head for!"

"Yugi!" Yami hissed, before smacking him on the back of the head warningly.

"Ouch!" Yugi complained, before using his free hand to rub the back of his head, while changing the channel. "Why'd you do that? Got something against gay sex?"

"No, I've just got something against you," Yami muttered simply, as he made his way over to a free stool on the other side of the kitchen island. They sat in silence for several minutes, before the events that surrounded Yugi the previous night, resurfaced in Yami's memory. "So…what exactly happened last night?"

Yugi's whole body tensed, before his shoulders slumped in defeat, and he shifted in his seat slightly. "Just shit."

"Who would have destroyed your car? And why?" Yami asked him, suddenly thoughtful, "And how did they do it again?"

"Yami," Yugi began in a warning tone, "I do not want to relive last night."

"Alright," Yami stated calmly, allowing the topic to be dropped before it started a full out _brat-fight_, but no sooner had the words briskly left his lips that Yugi dove into a maniac outburst of feelings.

"Someone bombed my car down man, my beautiful 1970 convertible Dodge Challenger, Ally!" He whined heartedly, seeming close to tears, when the cat, who had for most of the night, slept curled up on the edge of Yami and Tea's bed, and had followed Yami down the steps, jumped up onto the counter, and began licking its paw, before stopping to stare at his younger twin with an odd look. "What the fuck are you looking at fur ball?" The cat remained staring at him, with an odd and almost judgemental glare, never blinking.

"You know…" Yami started casually, after taking a long sip of his liquid breakfast, "Cat's have the kind of stare that makes their owners want to explain themselves…wouldn't you agree?"

Yugi made a weird hissing sound in his throat, before muttering something unintelligible under his breath, and then slammed his head down onto the hard, counter top, creating a loud thud that scared the cat off. Yami winced at the painful sounding contact, remarking at how stupid that actually was, "You just head-butted marble Yugi-"

"I felt that, asshole!" Yugi retorted immediately, before slowly bringing his head back up, with a pained and miserable expression that was partly embarrassed. "Dear mother of Ra," he choked in pain, as he massaged his forehead. "_Fuck_…holy shit it hurts!" The pain seemed to get worse for him, and pretty soon he was clutching both sides of his head in both hands, secretly wondering why the hell he had ever thought that slamming his head into it, would be a good idea.

"Look on the bright side," Yami directed at him cheerfully with a grin, as he shook his head at his brother's idiocy and misfortune, "It's not like there was anything in there to get damaged."

Yugi ignored that, and glanced to the side where the cat had been, but found the spot empty. "Where's that furry little asshole?"

"He fled when it became clear that he was challenging a lunatic," Yami grumbled, before swiping the remote out Yugi's hand, and changed the channel to the morning news.

'_- The victim was found early morning yesterday, by a local fisherman making his early rounds-" _

"Ey! I had the remote first you bastard!" Yugi growled before trying to yank it back, when Yami hissed a warning.

"Shut up!" he immediately turned up the volume, before skilfully elbowing Yugi to the side, his focus entirely on the TV screen as he instantly recognized the background scenery the camera was focussing on.

Hey, that looks like the…oh," Yugi caught on immediately. _The harbour_.

'_Here with us today is the gentleman who discovered the body, Mako Tsunami. Mr. Tsunami?" _The news reporter, who was kind of cute in Yugi's opinion - and with an annoying voice in Yami's opinion - turned to direct her attention on a rather young looking guy, who seemed to be in his late twenties, with an intimidating looking face and long dark blue hair, messily tied back, and ocean green eyes that were hard with emotion. _"Can you tell us how exactly you found the body?" _

Yugi raised an eyebrow, "Do you think he'll leave out the wrestling back of the giant crabs and falling deaf to the seductive song of the mermaids in order to do his civic duty?"

"Shut up!" Yami hissed again, as he frowned at the screen.

"_Well…I was busy fishing…on my boat-"_

'_No shit buddy, for real?' _Yugi thought sarcastically. "An' ye, I was on me boat in the 'iddle of thee ocean – fishin' – fir crah'bs an' fish wit me fish rod an' nets. It was a fool moon I tell ye, o'll thee weirdoes wer ow't, 'specially the mermaids, nasty cree'tures I tell ye, I tell ye that to yer face Yami. While fishin many yee'rs ago, before ye were born even, I caught me'self a mermaid, an first me think 'Boy yo, what a fine lass she is,' but then she open'd her mow'th an by god Yami, ye hav'nt 'eard a devil's wail till ye 'ear that me lad-"

"Ra damn it Yugi, shut up! I've missed everything he's said now, because I was distracted by your crap!" Yami growled in annoyance, as the camera shifted back to the news reporter.

"_- Police have yet to identify the victim, but it is suggested that he may have been a victim of a brutal boating accident, though this has yet to be confirmed. An autopsy held later today will confirm the exact cause of death-"_

"Ai, t'was a boating accident lass, indeed! Ev'ry night when the moon is fool, the Kraken cooms up an-"

"Yugi, you do realize that they've found the body right?" Yami hissed irritably, briefly showing only the tips of his fangs.

Yugi breathed in a deep sigh. "Well duh, it's not like I expected it to stay hidden forever," he mumbled in response and rolled his eyes. "I mean, I wasn't given all that much time to hide it, if you'll remember correctly."

"This is serious!" Yami rasped angrily, forcing himself to keep his voice down. "We can't be involved in a murder investigation, it'll put us right back onto the radar!"

"Yami, relax will you?" Yugi sighed, "That body was so badly torn up, that even if they do manage to identify him they'll mark his death off as a boat or a shark attack, anyway."

"You idiot! There is no ways that a body is going to be torn to pieces by a shark in the ocean, and then conveniently drift into the harbour and then into someone's net. What about the broken bones?" Yami argued logically, his gaze darting between Yugi and the TV.

"No of course not!" Yugi mocked an energetic sounding 'serious' tone that briefly reminded Yami of a lawyer in court about to win his case, as he slammed his closed fist down on the counter and sat upright. "The only other explanation would be that a _vampire_ did it!"

Yami narrowed his eyes, "Don't be a smartass."

"Yeah, well right now my ass is way smarter than you're being." He rolled his eyes, and went back into his half dead and sulky mood. "Come on, there's no evidence to tie us to the case, and if there is, I promise it won't be a problem for long…now give me that!" Yugi swiped the remote out of Yami's hand, and quickly changed the channel, landing upon a wild action packed zombie movie.

Yami let it go, and took another sip of his drink, hoping that it would calm him down, as every fibre in his being reacted to what he had witnessed on the news, and realized that ever since Yugi had arrived in Domino there had probably been several other murders just like it, that he had blissfully been able to miss and remain ignorant of. One day it would be bound to catch up with them, and then all hell would break loose…literally. He glanced to the side, and became aware of a slight discolouration around the left side of Yugi's face, with his skin appearing slightly darker than the rest of his unnaturally paler complexion. "What happened to the side of your face?"

Yugi grimaced darkly and cringed his eyes closed for a second, before slowly opening them, revealing a darkened scarlet that would have frightened away a small fire's self esteem. "Ally's engine, bitch socked me."

Yami frowned in confusion, "Who, did what?"

Yugi massaged his temples in slow circular motions, "A part flew out of my engine when it exploded and got me on the side."

"Oh…" Yami ended carefully, realizing that it was a touchy subject, before he trailed his gaze downward and realized that the bruise seemed to stretch all the way down the rest of his torso, in a healed and slight discoloured texture. "And the rest of it?"

Yugi glanced down his bare upper half and shrugged casually, "Those I got when Lamia had to drag me away, so that I wouldn't get burned."

"You mean you actually tried to put the flames out?" Yami asked incredulously.

"No, I was trying to get into the car," Yugi growled, correcting him.

Yami blinked, "I always knew you were crazy Yugi, but I thought that even you had your limits."

Yugi shot him a look, before grinning at him without any sign of humour, "I had my reasons for risking my existence."

"Which were what exactly?" Yami asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Just a priority of mine," Yugi answered simply before deciding to change the topic. "What have you and Tea got planned for this lovely summer's day by the deep blue sea? And what I'm really asking is what are you going to do that isn't going to bother me?"

Yami rolled his eyes, "I don't know, I haven't thought about it, but it won't be much..." Yami refused to admit it, but he was in so much pain that he felt as though he had somehow ended up back at square one when his chest had only just healed up. Yugi however, didn't need his older twin's words to realize what he was going through.

"Hurts today doesn't it?" it was more of a factual statement than a question.

"How'd you guess?" Yami responded with a small wince, as he felt the blood begin to work.

"Well you don't often drink blood, unless you really need to, and you weren't exactly _taking it easy_ last night…and action like that is not exactly a good idea for a recovering patient." Yugi winked, with a wicked grin.

"Really Yugi? You're talking to me about sexual restraint?" Yami patronized.

"Yeah…imagine that," Yugi smirked, before he softened his features into a slight emotion of sympathy. "Take some aspirin with that, you'll feel different immediately. I think there's some in that cupboard over the sink. And maybe a day in the hot tub will do you some good too; heat generally works well for humans with sore muscles…"

"Uh…thanks," Yami responded somewhat gratefully, before he walked over to the cupboard he was directed to, and glanced at its contents before pulling out the box he needed. As he swallowed the two pills and downed his mug of blood, he remembered something Yugi had revealed to him the night before. "Hey, don't you have a date tonight?" he asked, as he washed out the mug, listening behind him to his brother's edgy movements that had suddenly tensed.

"…Crap. Yeah I do."

Yami raised an eyebrow, and slowly turned to look behind him. "Your enthusiasm is inspiring."

"Dinner is at the Redbird Hotel…catching on yet?" Yugi groaned, before rolling his eyes impatiently at Yami's shrug in response, "It's like a formal setting isn't it? You know where the girls are in cocktail dresses and the guys in suits and ties...something I never thought necessary to have on me, so I kept it in the trunk of my car, which is now ash and metal."

"What time is your date?"

"Eight."

"You have plenty of time to resolve that issue, so what's the real problem?" Yami knew him well, and Yugi hated it.

He glanced away uncomfortably. "Just…stuff."

"You're nervous, aren't you?" unlike Yugi had expected, there was no teasing or any amusement in Yami's tone, only a sense of knowing, which was probably worse.

Yugi scoffed, "Nervous? Give me a fucking break Yami; I don't get nervous for anything-"

"Except maybe for a girl you might actually like…not so?"

Yami was reading him like a book, something that he hadn't done in ages, and it was beginning to worry Yugi. "No…"

"It's that girl isn't it, the one who came to the apartment?"

Yugi grudgingly nodded his head, "Don't get my intentions wrong, she's just a girl posing an irresistible challenge at the moment…there's nothing more to it."

Yami shook his head, as a knowing smile lightly touched his lips. "Are you sure about that Yugi? You've been hung up about her for a while…"

"Yami, seriously what could I possibly gain out of a relationship with a mortal?" Yugi sighed irritably, this time meeting Yami's gaze with an honest one. "It's not like there's anything in it that I'd want to gain other than sex anyways isn't there? Emotional connection? Firstly, not my style and secondly, due to her fragile and mortal state, one accident and she's dead, and then I suffer the pain that I really don't need. And most of all, comes the pressure, because after a few years human women expect you to be on the same page as them, and then comes the Ra forsaken idea of marriage and children…and I just can't be a part of all that...even if I wanted to be."

"I'm surprised you've thought that deeply about all this," Yami commented, realizing he had once felt exactly the same way, before he had met Tea. However, most shocking of all, was that Yugi was right…to an extent. In most senses it would never work out between Yugi and a human being, their difference in species was just too great. Yugi would live theoretically, forever and never age a day beyond his tender age of sixteen, Razz on the other hand would continue to age and lead a human life, exposed to humanly dangers and additional dangers brought on by him being a vampire, until she eventually died. Eventually the differences between them would put too much of a wedge in their relationship, Yami could see that all too clearly, and knew that it would just end in disaster.

"And that's why tonight is just a date. I'll get what I want from her - the fun way - and then it's all going to be over, and I'll find my next victim."

Yami frowned at him, "That's a rather low thing to do to her Yugi, I mean at least have some decency to let her walk away with a little bit of pride if you're going to play with her emotions."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Yami I swear I'm not going to manipulate her into it, powers or no powers, she'll be in control of what she does the whole time, and if she wants to go further that will be her choice entirely. Besides…It's highly unlikely anyway, she's already decided that I'm a loser, and unworthy of her time."

"How did you get her to go on a date with you then?" Yami inquired, while folding his arms.

"Cornered her into it…I offered her the idea that after tonight she'll never have to see me ever again."

Yami nodded his head in approval, "An offer no one could ever refuse."

"Hey!" Yugi protested, with a slight pout. "Some people would _kill_ to have me spend some quality time with them."

"And then they'd kill you too," Yami concluded dryly.

"Fuck you!" Yugi grumbled back.

"Takes two to fuck, Yugi, and you are not invited," Yami retorted, using a very old and childish gag that they had once shared when they were much younger.

Yugi mocked a puppy dog pout and fluttered his eyes girlishly, "Aww…are things not working out between us anymore?"

Yami rolled his eyes, "No, I found someone way better in bed." The words had slipped out his mouth before he could properly analyse them, and he instantly shut his eyes in regret as he waited for Yugi's predictable reaction. Not only were those words just inappropriately wrong and terribly gross, he had also overstated that which he had wished to remain unspoken between them…which of course was the only thing Yugi picked up on.

He flashed Yami a grin of triumph, "Ah…so you admit Tea's good in bed?"

Yami choked slightly and shot a glance in the staircase's direction in alarm, before smacking Yugi on the back of the head for the second time that morning. "Dude, shut the hell up!" he rasped lowly.

"You said it!" Yugi taunted as he rubbed the back of his head. "What's her _specialty_? Hand job, blow job-"

"Yugi I swear, if you don't shut up about this-"

"Man you should see your face right now…any redder and you'll pass off for a stop street sign!" Yugi laughed, as he neatly dodged Yami's punch. "Or maybe…_a rose_!" Yugi added dramatically, before ducking his head again. "Aye, ze' wonder'zz of romance!"

"I am going to fuck you up!" Yami growled, before managing to get Yugi into a headlock.

"Ewww! We're brothers! Go fuck someone else!" Yugi wheezed as Yami cut off his air supply.

"If you say one more word, I'll break your neck, I swear. I've done it before!" Yami threatened darkly, tightening his grip to make his point, before Yugi jerkily nodded his head in understanding, and he reluctantly released his hold.

"Yeah, how could I forget, took a lot longer than your damn chest, to heal too," Yugi muttered bitterly as he squirmed out of Yami's hold. "We had the best of times didn't we Yami?"

They both stiffened as they heard the soft padding of footsteps above them as Tea made her way downstairs to join them. "Dropping subject?" Yami suggested.

"Subject dropped," Yugi concurred, immediately before her delicious and sweet scent wafted in through the room, seconds before they heard her reach the landing. "So!" Yugi began in a much louder voice, "Any ideas on what I should wear tonight?"

Yami's lips parted to say something, but Tea beat him to it as she gently breezed into the room, wearing a silky nightgown that had been hanging from a coat peg behind the bedroom door. "Good morning boys," she greeted shyly, with a light blush burnt on her cheeks.

Yami extended his hand out to takes her before pulling her into him, and giving her a small, sweet kiss while holding her around the waist. "Good morning Beautiful," he whispered in her ear tenderly, before kissing the spot just below it, sending electric shivers through her body.

"Morning Tea," Yugi responded tiredly, and yawned softly.

"Hey Yugi, did you sleep well?" Tea asked him politely, though it was clear that her attention was on no one else but on Yami, who still held her close to him.

Yugi watched the pair with a bored expression, before rolling his eyes. "Fine I guess…and you?"

Tea grinned knowingly at Yami, before her blush deepened in its shade. "Very well thank you…"

Yami shared in her grin, before giving her a wink, and then turned his attention back on to Yugi. "The Redbird isn't that fancy, they'll allow you in with your leather jacket…though maybe not with that face."

Yugi narrowed his eyes at his older twin, "Because we're in the presence of a beautiful young lady, I'm _not _going to tell you to go _screw_ yourself."

Tea's eyebrows raised slightly, "Oh? Are you going somewhere tonight Yugi?"

Yami chuckled lowly, "He's got a date tonight."

Tea's eyes widened as she gasped in surprise, "A date? Wow, I never saw that one coming, with who Yugi?"

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Just some girl…it's not a big deal."

Yami and Tea secretly shot a knowing grin at one another, before Yami pressed on. "He's as nervous as hell, but won't admit it, because it might just affect his indifferent, tough guy image."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, I'm friking terrified! Look at me quaking in my seat!" he mumbled sarcastically, as Yami had managed to use his free arm to turn on the coffee machine beside him, while Tea giggled.

"I hope you're not going to be this snarky with your date tonight," Yami said lowly, before reluctantly pulling away from Tea and pulled out a chair for her to sit on, gesturing her to it with a swift and charming motion that had butterflies immediately swimming within her stomach.

"Why not? Its part of my charm," Yugi said with a roll of his eyes. "Some of us can't be Mr. sensitive Prince Charming."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to be the thing that lurks in the sewers either," Yami retorted back.

Tea burst out laughing, "You know for twins, you two can be so completely different. I mean I always thought identical twins were supposed to be exactly alike, from what I heard, and get along better than most siblings."

Yugi sighed, "That's a myth."

"For once, you and I actually agree on something," Yami muttered in response, before also sighing and turning to Tea. "In ways we are too different to see eye to eye…however, in most ways we are far too similar, and thus tend to clash."

"How we ever shared a womb, I will never know! I mean that's as confined as space gets," Yugi mumbled, with a wondrous look in his eyes.

"I'm more astounded by the fact that we came from the same egg," Yami chortled.

"For real?" Yugi's mouth gaped open incredulously. "You're meaning to tell me that you're not amazed that we managed to keep the peace between us in the womb, but instead, the fact that we came from the same egg…?"

Yami rolled his eyes, "It's not a great mystery how we kept peace in the womb idiot, we didn't even know there was an outside world, as well as the fact that we couldn't speak to each other – that probably contributed the most to your 'little miracle,' whereas on the other hand I find that the fact that we were once one person, and split into two separate individuals, and yet are so completely different from the other, to be an absolute wonder of creation."

"Did you guys ever do any of the twin'ish like things?" Tea asked curiously.

"Yami please translate what she said," Yugi requested with a half bored, and half confused expression.

"Pardon him Tea, it's too early for him to think apparently," Yami muttered dryly, before throwing her a smile. "And we did actually. From what I can recall, we used to be able to finish each other's sentences, before Yugi got so stupid it became physically painful for me to complete any of them, anymore."

"Oh!" Yugi caught on belatedly. "You mean that?" he asked her rhetorically, before nodding his head. "Yeah and sometimes like if Yami got hurt, I'd feel it, and vice versa. But we never wore the same clothes as far as I can remember…and what the hell do you mean I got stupid?"

"No, and we weren't allowed to either, they had to be different so they could tell us apart," Yami added with a small frown, ignoring his brother's ranting and raving like a lunatic.

Tea frowned in response, "Couldn't they do that already though?"

Both of them shook their heads, before Yugi added, "No ways, we may have been fascinating objects for the normal ranking vamps that surrounded us, but none of them really studied us enough to figure out how to distinguish Yami and me apart from one another, which is why from day one, they ensured through various and creative methods, that Yami was always well defined as the great and mighty, firstborn Atem."

Tea frowned considerately before asking, "Well that shows they cared right? I mean, they didn't want to confuse you two or something…"

Yugi grinned before shaking his head, whereas Yami remained silent, wearing a dark, grim expression, before sighing deeply. "No that's not-"

"You think too highly of the undead Tea, no, it wasn't because they had any maternal issues with on maybe the off chance of mistaking two little newborns names. No, they were concerned about mistaking who was the first born son was-"

"And that's all there is to it…" Yami interrupted, giving Yugi a brief, warning glare that commanded him to shut up immediately, before forcing a small smile in Tea's direction, "The twin'ish traits disappeared as we got older."

"Sadly he's right," Yugi grinned and winked at Tea, "I started getting cuter, and eventually hotter, and way more attractive than him, and he just got nerdier and uglier…ain't that a damn shame."

Yami, glanced up at him with a cocked eyebrow, and held his younger twin's amused gaze, silently.

"What's up Yami? Am I even better looking today than usual?" Yugi taunted with a wide and amused grin. "I haven't given any of the mirrors an opportunity yet, to compliment me, this morning."

"So vampires do have reflections?" Tea inquired jokingly, with a small grin as she watched the one-sided verbal exchange.

Yugi narrowed his eyes at her in disappointment, "You see; this is why we need more Egyptian authors, this crap you've been reading from the Europeans about our kind, was and is, raping our dignity and credibility! Of course we have reflections…_honestly_." He rolled his eyes.

Yami took in his younger twin's partly discoloured complexion amongst its deathly paleness, as well as the slight darkening beneath his eyes from a lack of sleep. Even his eyes, which were usually extremely bright and lively, seemed to be duller than normal, and his hair seemed less glossy and dull. "I think that in your case Yugi, it would be a good thing not to have a reflection…" he said, without lowering his raised eyebrow.

Yugi focussed his gaze on Yami, and snorted, "If I looked _like you_ Yami, I'd run from my reflection too!"

"…?"

"…?"

Yugi noticed the sudden silence in the room, as both Tea and Yami tried to hide their grins, and suddenly became aware of the flaw in his insult. "Okay, not my best retort…"

Tea giggled lightly, before turning in her seat to face more towards Yugi, "Tell us about your date, what is she like?"

Yugi raised both his eyebrows, before giving her a thoughtful expression, as he tried to sum up his perception of Razz into words, without sounding too soppy or like he actually cared. "I guess she's hot," he stated simply, before shrugging his shoulders.

Tea gave him a questioning look and smiled awkwardly while waiting for him to say more, whereas Yami, who had been busy making two cups of black coffee, slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder at Yugi, with a raised eyebrow and unreadable expression. "Hot and?" Tea tried to coax him.

Yugi looked at her, "…sexy?"

It was like watching two foreigners, who spoke two completely different languages, trying to communicate with one another in a very limited vocabulary. Yami rolled his eyes at Yugi's hopelessness, and turned back to the cups of coffee as he added in the sugar and cream. "Personality wise?" he suggested in an attempt to help Yugi out of the shallow depths he was sinking into, of Tea's perception.

"Oh…" Yugi mumbled with an almost disgusted expression, as though the mere thought was poisonous in his mind. "That…well um, she seems great." After noting the look and side-glance he received from those around him he quickly added, "I mean great as in, she's…you know, _cool_."

Tea reluctantly nodded her head in partial satisfaction, whereas Yami felt like banging his head against the cabinet, which slightly above him. "Cool, so what's her name?" she tried again, and Yami had to admit, her dedication was inspiring.

"Razz," Yugi responded automatically.

Tea nodded her head, and looked at him expectantly, to which he raised an eyebrow in question, unsure of what she wanted. "Um…" she mumbled, before straining a smile, "Razz who?"

It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know her last name…or his in fact. "Oh shit! I don't know."

"Well you'll find out tonight won't you?" Tea suggested, but Yugi's mind was somewhere else, and he hardly registered her words.

"Crap…that might come up tonight," he said to himself, more than to anyone else, before shifting in his seat to look at Yami. "Hey Yami, Tea's brought up a very good point that I have somewhat…_overlooked_-"

"What's with the formal language? Or is that how you intend to _woo_ Razz into a false sense of-"

"Think it'll work?" Yugi interrupted him, briefly distracted.

"No," Yami stated factually, as he brought the cups over to the counter once again, and took his seat next to Tea.

"Okay, then I'll go back to my simpler vocabulary, and get straight to the point – what is our last name?"

"We don't have one," Yami muttered in response. "Our father was from a time where last names weren't given."

"Really?" Tea inquired curiously, as Yami handed her, her cup.

He smiled at her, before giving her a firm nod. "Yeah, it was only when the clans started forming in the world, that last names were used." He turned to Yugi, and sighed, "But if it comes up in conversation, just give her the last name you're registered under."

Yugi gave him a blank look, "We're registered with one?"

Yami rolled his eyes, "Of course we were, you wouldn't have been able to get out of Egypt without that kind of…okay, maybe _you_ would have, but surely you have one on your driver's license?"

"What driver's license?" Yugi asked; his expression still blank and clueless.

"Yugi do you have any of your documents on you?" Yami asked him incredulously. "And what do you mean, '_what driver's license_?'" he mocked in a whiny, higher pitched voice.

"Well whatever I used to have went up in flames last night, so at present, nothing…and I never had a driver's license." Yugi answered with a shrug.

"What do you mean Yugi? Was there a fire?" Tea inquired worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Yugi bit his lip before turning to Tea with a small, sad sigh. "Ally was blown up last night by a couple of lowlife bastards."

It took a while for Tea to figure out that he meant his car, and not an actual human girl, but when she did she immediately felt sympathetic towards his situation, knowing that Yugi cherished his car above all else, and that it may as well have been human to him. "Oh…that's terrible Yugi, but you weren't hurt or anything though were you?"

He wanted to get angry with her, he wanted to throw a childish temper tantrum and point to his face and ask if she could see what his ordeal the night before had done to him, and he wanted to call her a dumb bitch for even asking…but Tea had a really unexpected effect on him, which soothed away that inner rage he felt, making him almost feel numb. He paused for a minute, before shaking his head jerkily from side to side, with strained control. "Nope…just my car…which got killed…violently…horribly…turned to ash-"

"And you'll move on," Yami said, as he nudged Yugi hard in the back with his elbow. "Now back to your other problems – the last name we're registered under is-"

"I thought you said that we didn't have a last name, a few minutes ago?" Yugi mumbled, proving yet again how short, his short attention span, really was.

Yami sighed, begging Ra for more patience, "It isn't our real surname, it's fake…for emergencies and official purposes-"

"Well for Ra's sake why didn't you just say that earlier, do you think I give a shit on whether it's real or not? I just need a last name," Yugi interrupted him yet again, shaking his head as though Yami had completely wasted his time.

Yami glared at his younger twin, before clenching and unclenching his jaw, taking a deep breath before he answered. "It's EL-Hashem."

"EL-Hashem…" Tea automatically tested the sound of it from her own lips, finding its foreignness somewhat exciting and yet strange at the same time. Yami EL-Hashem…Atem EL-Hashem… She liked the sound of both versions of his name, and smiled up at him. "I like it."

Yami returned her smile, and parted his lips to reply, but Yugi cut off, whatever he was about to say completely, with a negative comment of his own. "I don't, what the fuc-uh-fudge is a _EL-Hashem_?"

Yami resisted the temptation to punch him, and instead just shook his head, "Change it to _Smith_ then if you like."

"Smith? Have you been doing lines or something? No ways! And besides, I think I'm more Asian than Egyptian, I want a cooler surname like…Kurosaki! Or Shishigawara!"

Yami shook his head dismissively and rolled his eyes, "Whatever you like Yugi." He suddenly wondered why he even bothered with his brother, sometimes, when it was so obvious there was hope for him.

"Okay…so help me get my story straight…err…ish. I'm obviously Egyptian, just touring through America-" Yugi began.

"I thought a moment ago, you were more Japanese?" Yami pointed out, reminding his younger twin of his very own _dumb_ words.

Yugi narrowed his eyes, "Well duh, yeah, but claiming Egyptian, makes me more exotic to her, and girls like exotic don't they?" He directed the question to Tea, who blushed, and awkwardly shrugged a response.

"I…well, yeah some do," she babbled, before giggling lowly.

Yami restrained himself from laughing at her discomfort, and instead wrapped an arm around her waist. "Just continue on with your idiocy Yugi."

"Okay well…you're my brother obviously, I'll say older – and begrudgingly if I may add! – so to prevent confusion. I won't mention…the others." He and Yami briefly shared a serious glance, before he continued. "And I think that pretty much covers it."

Yami nodded once, before taking a small sip of his coffee, and instantly felt its warmth caressing him from within. Tea on the other hand frowned, aware that they were talking around her about something, and grew a little annoyed. She couldn't help but look back on a topic earlier that they had long passed, where Yami had stopped Yugi from revealing something about why he had to be defined as the first born, and now they had shared a silent acknowledgement about these 'others' that they obviously didn't want her to know about. A niggling voice in the back of her mind, warned her that it was none of her business, but she had never enjoyed been left out on anything, _especially by her boyfriend_.

Yugi suddenly got up and pushed his stool in, seeming unsteady for a second, before managing to gain his composure. "Um…I should go back to bed, it's late."

Yami nodded a dismissal, before giving his brother a raised eyebrow observation, as he too noticed the unsteadiness, but said nothing about it. "We'll try not to disturb you."

"See you later Yugi," Tea said softly, before lowering her gaze to her half empty mug, thoughts swimming through her mind.

Yami noticed the sudden change in her, and frowned in concern, whereas Yugi gave them both a fond farewell, which was a polite 'see ya' to Tea and an extended middle finger to Yami, before leaving the room, and them to themselves.

"Are you alright Tea?" he asked, gently, once they were alone.

Tea thought carefully about what she wanted to say, before turning her gaze to his. "I am, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm being left out on some things…I mean I know it's none of my business-"

Yami shook his head, stopping her in mid sentence, "I do not wish to you leave you out on anything my Love, what gave you that impression?"

Tea suddenly felt really stupid, and wondered if she had just simply imagined it. She shook her head, with a sheepish smile, and desperately wanted to take it all back. "N-never mind, I was just been dumb, sorry."

Yami rested his hand over hers, and continued to hold his powerful soul searching gaze on her. "You're not been _dumb_ if you are concerned about something. Is there something you'd like for me to clarify on…I know that sometimes when Yugi and I speak of our pasts in Egypt, I sometimes forget that you weren't there and would have no way of knowing what we're sometimes referring to."

"Yeah, but some of it is also none of my business-"

Yami gently clutched her hand, "As long as we are in a relationship, everything you need to know about me, is. You can ask me anything and I'll answer."

"Like what your most embarrassing moment was?" Tea asked jokingly in a soft, barely audible voice, which made Yami chuckle.

Even though it was only a joke, Yami still answered her. "I once woke up with a spider in my bed, and literally leaped onto the drapes that hung from my ceiling, to get away from it, screaming like a little girl…and Yugi will never let me live it down."

They both chuckled lowly, before Tea became a little more serious, but her mood had definitely lightened. She blushed shyly before deciding to voice her question. "Who…are the _others_?"

For a minute Yami's eyes darkened, and then he turned them away from her, "Yugi's…referring to our several other brothers, who were born stillborn. He'll never say it, but it affected him a lot when we were kids, when the babies were born, but…well, Yugi always wanted to believe that one of them would make it. He always saw them as his little brothers that he needed to _protect_."

Tea gave him a slightly surprised look, "And…you didn't?"

"I couldn't…It would have been…in a way, like losing Yugi, over and over again. I detached myself completely, from any of them, after the first time one of our brother's was born; it was just too painful to go through again. We were both young and mostly human then, and the vampires weren't caring enough to tell us that the baby wasn't going to make it, so we got excited by the idea that we were going to be big brothers… I was there for the birth, despite our cousin's efforts to get me out of the room, and I held his tiny, little body in my arms…" Yami realized suddenly that he had begun to drift off into the black world of his memory and shook himself back into reality. "I apologize Tea; it brings back some very unpleasant memories."

Tea moved over to wrap her arms around Yami's firm stomach, and looked up at him with sad, but proud eyes. "You're a good person Yami…and you're a great brother. I'm sorry about what happened to you and Yugi, but you're always going to have each other…and you're always going to have me…if you want me to stick around that is."

Yami was momentarily taken aback by her words, but found quickly found himself beaming down at her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her onto his lap, ignoring the painful protest of his wounded chest. "Can I have you forever then?" he then said in an extremely alluring, and deep voice, which made Tea's breath hitch in her throat, and butterflies roll in her stomach.

She smiled, "Always."

Yugi having overheard Tea's words, slumped back against his closed bedroom door, and sighed tiredly.

'_But you're always going to have each other.' _

He smirked without humour, as he felt all the strength leave his body. She had made it sound like he and Yami would be brothers forever, but Yugi knew better, way better than either of them did…even better than Yami. What Yugi knew, for a stone cold fact that neither Yami, nor Tea could even comprehend, was that forever would only last just a few more months.

* * *

**Alright, alright...let's all calm down and not stab the author. I know it's a little bland, but I promise to make up for it next chapter. Which I'll update on Valentines Day. It's going to be romantic, and Yugi is going to suprise most people more than usual. Guaranteed Lemons for my Lemonade-shake friends, fluffy puppy love for the more innocent ones. Oh, and appearances of some old Yu-gi-oh characters... Thank you so much for reading and putting up with me all these years (that's right, years!) and lovies! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey Hey Hey! Okay yeah, I am late with this update, I get that I've dissapointed some of you (others expected it) but you all can blame and take it up with the bitchy professor of mine, whose given me a mother f-uh-ker task that had to be done, and everythings just snow balled down from there, and I don't even know what sleep is anymore! Also... I'M SEXED OUT PEOPLE! You'll see why as you read further (rolls eyes). **

**Okay, so here's the catch. Every writer knows what it's like to be under pressure and have to write something creative - when you're feeling anything but creative! - So I'm sorry for the lack of talent in this chapter. The second catch is, that I couldn't actually finish chapter 20 - so this is like part 1, and I'll update part 2 as soon as I can. **

**However, I'm pleased to inform you that that chapter is a lemon-fest! So readers who don't like lemon scenes, nows the time to start. And I don't care how you really feel about them, you will not insult my lemon scenes because I stayed up LATE to write them! **

**Further more, I'd like to thank my awsome reviewers, i'd never be able to go on writing during bad weeks like these without your support. LOVE you guys! Secondly, let's all picture this as Valentine's day so that this chapter's occurances can actually make sense. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh**

**Rating: M! Maybe even X now that i think about it.**

**AN: Please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

* * *

**Yugi:** Okay so since it's Valentine's Day and all, i've decided to open an advice thingy to help all you young girls out there find love...lets see, first question is from Safty;

"Dear Yugi, okay you see I have this problem, there's like this really cute guy that I like, but i'm too shy to talk to him. I tried talking to him online and stuff, but he doesn't talk to people he doesn't know, what should I do?"

**Yugi:** Well safty, you've got to wear something really sexy and walk passed him. Trust me, he'll know you then. Next question comes from a girl named IceBabe;

"Dear Yugi, okay, i have this boyfriend, we've been going out for three months, and I'm like his first real relationship ever, since all the other girl's he's dated he went out for like a week to 'get what he wanted'. Now he's going to college on the otherside of the country. I lost my virginity to him and I really don't want to lose him, what should I do?"

**Yugi:** Well IceBabe, first off, you're an idiot. Like duh, you slept with him even though you knew he left once he got what he wanted from girls, so honey you got punked. He's going to go through girls at college like Tiger Woods went through condoms. I advise you go home, eat some ice cream, and invite me over to cheer you up -hint hint! Now for the next question, this one is from...well, our author Sav!

"Dear Yugi, I got asked by a close friend the other day to put you in a threesome with some guy on guy action, and I was wondering, should I have you in a threesome with Yami and Tea? Or-"

**Yugi:** And that's all the time we have folks! If there is any problem you need good advice for, please feel free to mail it in. Till next time, I'm out!

**Chapter 20**

Yugi awoke immediately at sunset, after feeling the electric sensation of the night welcoming him, which fed him with a dark kind of energy that made him feel invincible and unstoppable…_untamed_. He was a child of the night, therefore in his element from which he thrived, his second power booster after blood. His eyes opened slowly, revealing his bright, scarlet pair of eyes that were the liveliest they had been in days, taking on a dull glow in the darkness of his room, before he blinked them into _sane_ focus.

His hangover had subsided substantially; leaving only a slight headache that would be cured immediately after a decent dosage of plasma's finest, which was a good thing, considering he needed to be in tip-top shape for his date, which just a few hours away. Rolling onto his back, Yugi placed both arms beneath his head, and stared up at the ceiling, listening haphazardly to the sounds around him while he contemplated his date with Razz.

He could hear both Tea and Yami's low keyed voices as they discussed something lightly amongst themselves in a room on the other side of the mansion, as well as the light electrical buzz of the place's appliances, and occasional homely creaks. All the welcoming sounds, he guessed, that a normal life offered.

He closed his eyes for a minute, as he prepared his thoughts and feelings to get himself out of bed, feeling very much like a lazy teenager on a Saturday morning, though he managed to sit himself up and stretch before the temptation to carry on sleeping could set in. He yawned and scratched the back of his head, as he glanced around the room for the second time that day, still unable to recall the reason behind the sock collection. He shook his head and climbed out the bed, giving his neck a brief massage, while he thought about what he should do first.

_A shower sounded really good._

He grinned to himself as he glanced over to a set of doors on the other side of his room and began to make his way over to them. At first one, like he had, would assume they were just closet doors, but as Yugi had discovered shortly before blacking out, there was more to them than what met the eye. Disguised as a closet door, was the entrance into the room's own separate bathroom, worthy of a five-star hotel catalogue, complete with a triangular spa bathtub and cave-like modern shower system, among other less, _but definitely not underclass_, important _equipment_ and furnishings.

Without a second's hesitation after shutting the door, and ultimately disappearing from the rest of the house, he quickly stripped down to his natural born suit, and stepped into the cave shower, turning it on with one swift movement and allowed hot, steaming water to spray over his bare, muscular body, from four different angles, which almost seemed to massage him with invisible hands. Unable to tell on whether or not the hot water was burning his skin however, he added a safe amount of cold water, and then closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of water running over his skin.

Yugi loved water.

So much, that in the past, he had driven his father mad enough to have a small pool, built especially for him and Yami to enjoy, on the far side of the tomb, where they could be out of the way for a couple of hours, and not cause any trouble. The 'not causing any trouble part' being mostly for him. Ironically however, it was in that very pool, where Yugi had come up with most of his greatest schemes.

The strange anxiety that had welled up inside him, needed someway of relief, so Yugi turned the taps onto the highest pressure it allowed, and rested both palms up against the stone wall, as water plummeted over him. He breathed in deeply, tracing several salty lavender and berry scents of the bath products around him, and sighed in content, as his mind went over several different thoughts that often plagued his mind.

Just a little longer…that was all that it was going take. _Just a little longer_.

* * *

When Yami regarded Tea with his rich scarlet gaze, which would have penetrated any heart he so desired, a fond, warm smile curled onto his lips. This was the same girl that just a little while ago, had run straight into his arms on some random, abandoned street in Domino City that he had impulsively decided to stroll along, from a monster that he was likely to kill if he ever met, and the very same girl who -_he was sure-_ he'd sworn he'd never fall for.

_How wonderfully amusing destiny could be sometimes_…

He wondered what it would have been like if he had known everything he knew now, back then - at that moment when he held her for the very first time, when all he figured she was, was just an ordinary, frightened human. He figured he'd react totally differently, and instead of walking away from her, would have _instead_, never left her side. It was strange for him to think that there was ever a time when Tea didn't mean anything to him, and that he had not loved her with his entire _half human soul_, that at some point he had allowed her out of his sight to go on about her human life without being concerned about her safety…_something he definitely was incapable of, now_.

It was funny how _life_ and _time_ worked out, promising unpredictability and many complications and obstacles along the way, and always ended with tragedy…but the good things that came about, were always worth it. He just needed to remember that. He took a gentle sip of his herbal tea, which according to the box, was supposed to help relieve him of pain - _but only burnt the shit out of his throat instead_ - and watched carefully as Tea rolled the pair of die she held in her hand across the monopoly game board. Despite the game's slow winded pace, and Yami's constant success, while defeat loomed thickly over Tea, who was struggling to put one hotel up on her property, whereas he had several everywhere on the board…they were having a blast.

The game-off, started as soon as Tea stumbled across a closet that was filled from top shelf to bottom shelf with board games, from different countries all over the world, some that had instructions, which Yami had to translate before they could play. At first it was just a light way to pass the time while bonding, since Tea had noticed Yami's limited ability to move and wanted to therefore make sure he got enough rest and recovery time, but after he beat her at almost every game they played, it quickly became an outright battle, leading towards humorous consequences.

Snakes and Ladders had been the most fun, since the damn snake that lingered on the block just before the finish line, had cruelly eaten their tokens almost every time, and eventually it became a mission to beat the snake rather than each other. Trivial Pursuit, bingo, scrabble – which had been an unfair game from the very beginning since Yami's intellect was far too superior, as he was constantly reminded of - checkers, a childish game called fish eat fish, an interesting game called Fortress of the Archkyrie that had taken a while to figure out, and finally their second last game Lord of the Rings – The Confrontation, had also been quite entertaining. Now, as they neared the end of the day, they watched amusedly as the die rolled to a stop, landing on snake eyes, which meant that her little dog token was going to land on Yami's most expensive benefiting property. "Oh come on!" she cried out in dismay.

Yami tried to hold back a chuckle, but that had been really bad luck. Her head shot up as she threw a mocked glare at him, "Oh, do you think that's funny?"

Yami immediately shook his head and tried to straighten his expression, before holding his hands out in surrender. "You can stay the night for half price if you want, since you're my girlfriend and all-"

"I can't even afford half price! I just forked out half my life's savings last turn, to you!" she complained, though her eyes were twinkling.

Yami choked on a chuckle he was trying to stifle and bit his bottom lip, "For free then?"

Tea shook her head in defeat, "No! I'm not a charity case! Here, take it, _take it all_!" She mocked a tragic look as she pushed over all the game money she had, across her side to his, as well as all of her properties, before giving in to good humour and joined him in his laughter. Though honestly, she had no idea how he did it. Yami placed both his hands over hers when they were within his reach, and lightly squeezed them, which gained her attention.

"_Take it all huh_?" he said as he flashed her, a hot look, which had her melting inside.

Her cheeks blushed lightly, before a sly look sparked in her sapphire orbs. She leant back against her chair, without saying anything, and gently pulled her hands back to freely, fold her arms across her chest, never breaking her gaze from his, as a mischievous smirk replaced her smile. There was no denying or guessing what was on each other's minds, since it was so painstakingly obvious. _They wanted each other._

Yugi had been right about the fact that Yami had put too much strain on his body, too soon, which was why he had felt broken all over again. So, throughout the day they had tried to keep it innocent between them, sharing only sweet kisses from time to time as well as a few gentle caresses…but it seemed to be creating a totally opposite effect on them instead, as the sexual tension between them intensified.

He smirked at her quite invitingly, and raised a challenging eyebrow, practically undressing her with his eyes. If he could have wiped the offending board game, off the table, with a swipe of his right arm and taken her right there and then, he would have; Ra damn the pain, and whether or not Yugi would decide to barge in on them. After a while of gazing hotly at each other, they could both sense the invisible barrier that was currently standing between them, take strain but before anything _good_ could happen they heard the door to the reading room swing open, as Yugi causally strolled inside, sipping casually from an opaque black mug, _while wearing nothing more than a dark towel around his waist_.

"Good evening everybody!" he greeted cheerily, as he dashed over to stand beside Yami with his eyes scouting out the board game in front of them. "Feeling a little _bored_? Ha-ha, do you get it?"

Yami stared at his brother state of appearance with narrowed eyes, before rolling them, "I see you're finally up..._and showered_."

Yugi took a wild sip of his drink, while moan-growling a response of sorts in his throat, before pulling the mug away from his mouth and licked the blood off his lips. "Ah!" he breathed in content, before wiggling his eyebrows at Yami, who was glaring at him pointedly for revealing the contents of his mug to Tea, so carelessly. "Uh huh! And ready to take on the world! By the way what the hell is this place?" his gaze darted around the room with a curious look, as he took in the comfortable library office-like setting, with a modern fireplace, shelves with books, and fancy couches.

"It's a reading room Yugi," Tea answered him with a small smile, "And did you sleep well?"

Yugi beamed at her. "Ah _Ch__è__rie_! Indeed'z I did. It wa'zz how do you Americans say, uh pleas'oint?" Yugi replied extra cheerfully in a phoney French accent, with a dramatic bow, almost side-knocking Yami over the head with his mug in the process.

"What's up with that terrible accent?" Yami growled in annoyance, as he rose up from his ducked position, careful to avoid Yugi's second swing when he bounced from his low bow, back up to a standing position.

"V'ell my _fr__è__re_, as you are very well aware, it is ze' night 'zat I-"

"Speak in your normal voice for Ra's sake, we cannot understand a damn word you're saying," Yami grumbled in annoyance.

"Hey my French accent is _sexy_!" Yugi protested, but didn't loose the grin.

"Maybe to someone who actually cares," Yami retorted back, before quickly adding, "Or hasn't actually heard the _real one _before…_nah, on second thought, only you think so_."

"You are just jealous!" Yugi verbally concluded, before resting his hip against the table they were using, for support. "But as I was saying, I'm getting into the romantic-" he did a weird swivel with his body that was almost snake like, "_spirit_ for my hot date tonight."

Yami blinked slowly as he regarded his younger twin, mentally shaking his head. "And the French persona thing is…?"

"A way to show her I'm cultured!" Yugi beamed proudly, before giving Tea a wink. "Gives me a little bit more of an upper class feel."

"And makes you sound like a total _imbecile_, good going Yugi that ought to divert her attention from all your other flaws in character design." Yami commented dryly.

"Now that's just mean!" Yugi mocked a pout, "You know that French was one of my better grades in school!" He looked over at Tea and grinned proudly, "I actually got an honest 'A' for that class."

Yami rolled his eyes, "On one test."

"So what, it was an 'A' regardless!" Yugi pulled a tongue at Yami, before hopping up straight onto his feet. "And tonight I'll pull out all stops to make Razz feel like its _le coup de foudre_!"

"Love at first sight," Yami translated for Tea, who was giving Yugi a slightly confused look as she tried to follow his words. She immediately shot him a grateful smile, and mouthed the words 'thank you,' to which he winked at in response, before turning his gaze over to his younger twin. "More like spotting a complete idiot at first sight though," he added.

Yugi glanced down to meet Yami's unimpressed gaze, and grinned, "By the way brother, how do you feel this evening? I can see that you're still a little pale _and tense_, did the hot tub idea not work out for you?"

"Hot tub idea?" Tea inquired, as this was the first time she was hearing of it.

Yugi turned to her, with a strange sly look in his eye, "Yeah, haven't you seen the hot tub downstairs? The thing is a god send for relieving…_tension._" Yugi seemed to be biting back an amused smirk, before continuing, "It's one of those health thingies that all the stuck up rich people desperately believe they should have, which I hear, is to cleanse and massage the body and soul…" Yugi stood up pin straight, and stretched out his arms, before moving them into a circular motion that ended up with his hands held together, his mug awkwardly between them, above his head, before pulling them down to the centre of his chest to look like he was praying, seeming absolutely at peace for a second, until he hyperactively bounced out of it. "You should try it!" He then looked down at the unattended game of monopoly and cringed, "And soon. Who's winning?"

"Yami _won_," Tea said with a roll of her eyes, "He's like the King of Games, totally unbeatable."

"You mean he didn't let you win once?" Yugi gasped, giving them both a mocked disbelieving and shocked look, before hopping over to Tea's side and kneeled down beside her chair, placing his hand on her forearm which was still folded into the other, and used his other to fist over his heart. "Dearest Tea, I swear to thee that I would have at least let you win twice unlike my selfish brother, and I vow that I shall avenge your honour and defeat him in a family's board game…" he said straight faced with a smooth flowing voice that did in fact sound medieval and honourable, before he hopped back up like an energetic spring toy, "But not tonight, I'm busy."

Tea laughed, whereas Yami just shook his head at him in disappointment, "So much for chivalry on your part Yugi, and by the way, shouldn't you be getting ready for your date?"

Yugi was in the process of swallowing another gulp of blood, and with the cup still firmly at his lips he gave Yami a wide eyed stare of surprise, and groaned something like, 'mmm ammm!', with his free arm stretched out to show himself off.

Yami narrowed his eyes, "Yugi…you're standing up here, half dressed, annoying the hell out of us, and I bet you haven't even figured out how you're going to get there yet, have you? And you realize you've barely got an hour left right?"

Yugi slowly turned around to look up at the clock on the other side of the room, before slowly spinning on his heels to look back at Yami, and shrugged. "I gotta run back to the apartment and hope that Lamia hasn't thrown away my good leather pants! And then I've got to stop by the mall anyway to pick up some things. Other than a shirt, what more do I need? I'm good looking enough," he winked at Yami, before draining the last of the blood in his mug.

"Oh, actually," Tea started, before slowly climbing out her seat with a thoughtful expression, "There's a shirt in the closet in our room that you might like Yugi, let me get it for you and see if you like it."

They watched her leave the room, before Yami massaged the bridge of his nose and turned to face Yugi directly. "Okay, Yugi come clean with me, is this time you've ever been on a date?"

Yugi sobered up slightly and regarded Yami with a more serious expression, "Um…technically."

Yami nodded his head while giving Yugi a thoughtful look, "So do you have any idea on what you should do on one?"

Yugi grinned and raised his index finger with his lips parting to say something – _obviously a smartass response_ – when it suddenly dawned on him that he actually didn't have a clue. "Uh…" His eyes looked from one side of the room to the other slowly, as he thought about it, before suddenly shaking his head in grim defeat. "No…well actually-" he was suddenly inspired, "Yeah, I do! I take her out to eat, and then…"

Yami gave a tired sigh, "Okay, if you're going to make a good impression on your date, you better take a seat and listen." Yugi glanced over to the bright red vacant couch that Tea had been sitting in, and leaped over the table using his elbow as leverage, before falling into it with a soft thud, and spun his body around to face Yami, who stared at him disapprovingly.

"Okay," Yugi said, before placing both hands on the table with a loud smack, "I'm listening!"

"First off…don't do that tonight, the restaurant tables are not playground furnishings." Yami scolded him with a disapproving glare, before continuing. "There are just three very important little tips I'm going to give you; one – always keep eye contact with her, the round orbs on her face, _not her chest_, can you distinguish between the two?"

Yugi gave Yami a look, before he continued. "Two – don't let her get bored…_on second thought_, I forgot I was dealing with you – ease down on the excitement."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Oh come on Yami, I know I'm a dangerous guy, but danger doesn't linger around me you know! I am perfectly capable of showing her a good time _without_ risking her life."

"That has yet to be proved," Yami mumbled dryly before continuing, "Thirdly, don't talk about other girls."

Yugi pulled a face, "Why not? According to the latest piece of advice in regards to 'dealing with the opposite sex' it clearly states that there is nothing wrong with sharing an open interest in another woman, and that you've got to make her _work for it_."

Yami sighed deeply, staring at Yugi like he was the most helpless creature in the world. "Okay sure…now come back to the real world, where starting up a conversation about another girl who you are attracted to with one that you're trying to get to like you, is a really _dumb_, and incredibly _stupid _idea."

"But it's legit advice from a guy who knows what he's talking about," Yugi argued.

"Okay first off, the guy's a dick; he probably had his heart broken a few times and now carries a major chip on his shoulder. And second, girls like Razz will walk out on you right then and there. You want to make her feel like she has your undivided attention and that she's the only one you want to spend time with."

Yugi was half tempted to make fun of Yami's sensitivity towards females and his shitty advice, which was far too Prince Charming for him, but he respectfully remained silent about it and nodded his head.

"And be yourself," Tea's voice drifted over to them from the doorway, as she stood smiling at them, with something folded over her left arm. "That's the most important thing."

Yami's eyes darted over to her in surprise as he had not heard her approach them, whereas Yugi just smirked back in return.

"You're funny and you have a nice personality Yugi, as well as interesting. She likes that about you; otherwise she would never have agreed to go out with you in the first place. Just remember not to try so hard and relax." She walked over and held out the shirt she found for him, which he got up from his seat to take, and then carefully wrapped her arms around Yami from behind.

"Yeah, but maybe not _too _much of yourself," Yami advised in a dry tone.

Yugi, ignoring him, flapped the shirt out and grinned excitedly, "Ooooo…nice, _very nice_!" It was a black, short sleeved button up shirt with silver threading that gave it an additional light sparkle in the light. "Shiny!"

Yami rolled his eyes, and ran his hands up her arms which she had loosely around over his shoulders. "It appears he has yet to grow out of his obsession for shiny things."

Yugi lowered the shirt so that he could see Yami, "I was obviously a Lampie in my past life."

Both Tea and Yami frowned at him. "A what?" Yami eventually asked.

Yugi seemed taken aback, "A Lampie…come on Yami, you can't tell me you don't remember The Lampies do you?"

Yami shook his head warily and Tea shrugged when Yugi looked over at her, hoping for some recognition. "Oh come on you two they had that cool theme song and everything! You know um – If you start looking around, up high or deep underground; You will see light everywhere, but how does it get there?" Yugi started to vibrate in his steps and start weird dance, which reminded him of the last scene during ending credits of the show Hamtaro, when the said hamster himself was dancing to the ending song. "Flashlight, Spot light, Traffic light, Flood light, Torch light, Fairy light, Porch light…_'who keeps you safe at night_?' La la la la – It's The Lampies! La la la la la la – Everywhere!"

Tea and Yami shared a brief concerned look, before Yugi made another dance movement that brought their attention right back to him. "They light up the world, making sure there's no trouble…If the power should fail, they'll come at the double! Street light, wall light, strobe light, gas light, foot light, cab light, sky light, dimmer light, blue light, white light, brake light, bright light…_'who keeps you safe at night_?' La la la la – It's the Lampies. La la la la la la it's the Lampies…la la Lampiiiiiiiies!" Yugi ended dramatically with his arms outstretched.

For a moment there was just silence, with each of them sharing glances between one another, until eventually Tea said, "Oh yeah I remember that show!"

"Oh," Yami said with a slight bit of nervousness, "It's actually real?"

Tea gave him an amused grin, "Yeah, it was a kid's show, about these little people that lived inside street light globes, and operated them…_I think_, haven't seen it in years."

He didn't voice it, but the first thing that went through his mind at that moment, was how did people come up with shit like that? He shook his head in disbelief before eyeing Yugi. "What the hell made you think of that?"

Yugi shrugged, "I don't know, it doesn't even have anything to do with the shirt, but it popped into my head and I just felt like singing it. I still can't believe you don't remember it though Yami!"

"Well I'm glad I did," Yami responded dryly, before kissing Tea's forearm, not quite done yet with her, as they still had some _unfinished business_ to take care of.

Yugi rolled his eyes, before trying on the shirt, and gave it a satisfied smirk when it fit him perfectly, and man did it look good! "Tea, I approve of your choice!" he fondly complimented her, before spinning on his heels, to show it off.

Tea chuckled, "It looks good on you Yugi, and it'll look even better with a leather jacket."

"Yeah!" Yugi agreed as he came to a spinning halt facing them, "Just imagine how it would look in…" His voice trailed off and suddenly his expression became semi grim and remorseful. "In Ally…"

Yami rolled his eyes, and gently broke away from Tea's hold as he rose to his feet. "Yeah may she rest in peace, in the great big junkyard in the sky, come on," Yami patted his brother on the shoulder and nudged his head in the doorway's direction, before leading the way out the room.

"My Ally does not belong in a junkyard!" Yugi growled defensively, "Oh and I should probably get rid of the towel huh?" Before Yami could get a word out his mouth, or even truly react, Yugi tore the towel off from around his waist and flung it in Yami's horrified face.

Yami quickly clawed his way out the fluffy black towel, eyes bulging in their sockets at Yugi's horrendous actions, only to taken over by a wave of relief and irritation, when Yugi stood, grinning at his reaction, 'modestly' dressed in a pair of Yami's simple, silk black boxers… In all his life, there had never been a time as tempting as this, where Yami wanted to throttle his brother. Yugi cocked an eyebrow and innocently shrugged, as though to say 'what's your problem?' before dashing over across the room, with vampiric speed and pulled a tongue at him, childishly.

"If those are mine - _and I think they are_ – you can keep them after tonight," Yami growled, with a slight wince as several disgusting ideas on where they could possibly end up, while in Yugi's care, occurred to him, and he visibly trembled.

"Tozz fiik!" Yugi cursed in Egyptian.

Yami raised an eyebrow as he walked passed his younger twin, "Gaatak dahya."

"I've already told you I'm not welcome there," Yugi responded, as they reached the staircase. "Besides, I don't think I'll find a decent ride down there, so why would I?"

Yami rolled his eyes. "Have you thought about getting _her_ restored?" he inquired, without any enthusiasm.

Yugi chuckled bitterly, "Restore what? The only things left of her are parts of her metal frame and a few thingamajigs that are burnt to unrecognisable shit!"

"Sounds like a lost cause then," Yami answered insensitively.

"You don't say!" Yugi spat sarcastically, as he hopped onto the stairway's railing, and slid down it childishly, reaching the bottom first. Yami watched him slide past with a raised eyebrow, which he continued to regard Yugi with until he stepped down to his side, and shook his head dismissively, before walking to the door that led down into the garage.

He flipped the light switch that was just beside the doorframe on top of the glassy stairway, and they were immediately greeted by a white heavenly light that seemed to make his Ferrari glow like a centre piece angel. Yugi looked at it longingly, but didn't say anything as he followed Yami over to the vehicle, and stopped when he stopped. Yami stared at his prized possession for a long time, before slowly turning around to face Yugi, and carefully leant up against it with his arms folded, "…Since you kept Tea safe when I couldn't, I owe you."

Yugi waved him off, "Pft! Please, you're my brother; I'd help you any day with an _attractive girl_."

Yami rolled his eyes, "No kidding…but regardless, I owe you…so Ra forbid…I'm going to let you _borrow_ my car tonight."

Yugi's eyes widened, "Whoa…come again, I think I heard you wrong?"

Yami sighed, "_But_…if it comes back to me, with just so much as a _scratch _Yugi…so help me Ra, _I will kill you_!" He reluctantly held out his hand, in which his car keys were dangling from an iron-clenched fist. "So drive _carefully_, and that means no drinking tonight either, or getting stoned."

"_Yes Dad_!" Yugi grumbled sarcastically. "But just to let you know, you're not the boss of me!"

Yami narrowed his eyes at him, "When you're driving a car that's worth _more than your life_ on the black-market, I am. And just so that you know, you shouldn't be drinking anyway."

Yugi raised an eyebrow, "And why's that?"

"The legal drinking age here in the states is 21," Yami informed him, as Yugi reached out to take his keys. For a moment, he couldn't let go of them, as the instinctive feeling that this was a very, _very big mistake_, maundered in the back of his mind. However, after a few rapid glances between each other's faces and the keys, Yugi managed to snatch them from Yami's fingers, and shot him a glare, before giving his input.

"Yeah, so what we're not locals?" he argued.

"It's also 21 in Egypt," Yami stated, with a small roll of his eyes. "18 if you're a beer drinker, which you're not."

"Well fine! How old do you need to be, in Japan then?" Yugi pressed on, this time folding his arms defiantly.

Yami thought for a moment, "It's either 20 or 21, but regardless of that, you can't just be Japanese whenever it suits you, and it wouldn't even matter if you could, because as long as you're in this country, you have to follow by its rules."

_Oh, Mr. Responsibility!_ Yugi thought in annoyance as he rolled his eyes. The people that lived in their own country couldn't even follow the rules; they killed, raped, and stole from each other all the damn time. "Okay fine, _whatever_. I'll plan a trip to Afghanistan next! Unlike the rest of the world's countries that have their heads stuck up their own anuses, drugs are legal! You don't get a place more, accommodating than that!"

"True Yugi, drugs are legal there," Yami smirked at him and chuckled. "But guess what."

Yugi cocked an eyebrow, before rolling his eyes and groaned, "Let me guess, the legal drinking age there is 21?"

Yami shook his head, "Nope. Afghanistan doesn't have a drinking age…"

Yugi's eyes widened, "Is that place heaven?"

Yami laughed, which confused Yugi for a moment, before he went on to explain, "Oh Yugi, if it's too good to be true brother, _it generally is_. No, Afghanistan believe it or not, _doesn't _allow drinking at all, in fact its _illegal_. So basically they run oppositely to every other country in the world." He patted Yugi on the back, semi roughly before shoving himself off his car and began to make his way back to the staircase.

"Whoa, whoa wait! What the fuck? You're telling me that the drug capital of the world, the one that produces 90 percent of the world's heroin, and even went as far as making it legal to smoke down in gallons…_banned alcohol_?" Yugi gushed incredulously. "That ain't right." However, he found himself secretly smiling behind Yami's back. Whether he was conscious of it or not, Yami had just referred to Yugi as 'brother' again, just like the old days.

"Go to South Africa for your next trip, the legal drinking age there is 18."

Yugi raised an eyebrow, "Is that like an African jungle place? With all those weird killer diseases and wild animals?"

Yami shook his head, before narrowing his eyes at him, "Yeah it's exactly like that…and you know what else, they don't have roads either…or cars. If you want to get around you've got to go via elephant back, and wash in rivers, because there's no indoor pluming." His voice had been thick with sarcasm, but Yugi didn't seem to be able to tell.

"Ra those poor fuckers, how do they live?"

"Yugi, don't be stupid. South Africa! South! Ring any bells?" Yami growled through clenched teeth.

Yugi shrugged, "All I'm hearing is south, south, sooooouth…and Africa. And when I think of Africa, I see monkeys, and lions, and those stripy horses..."

Yami's eyebrow twitched, before he shook his head in defeat. _'Dear Ra my brother is a complete idiot.'_ He waved Yugi off before he could say anything more, as it had become too painful to listen to. "It's developed Yugi…" and after realizing that Yugi might not quite understand the full extent of that, he quickly added, "They have TV."

Yugi's eyes widened, "Wow…when did that happen?"

Yami stared at him for a long, long time, before finally asking, "Do you care?"

"Nah, not really," he replied in a bored tone, before stretching. "Guess I better get ready?"

Yami massaged the bridge of his nose, before turning to go up the stairway. "Please, _please_ do!"

When they re-entered the house, they found Tea sitting at the kitchen isle sorting through a wide range of different fruits with a blender beside her.

"Hmm…making smoothies?" Yami purred as he eyed the ingredients she was chopping up. Tea, as he had discovered that morning, was a master in the kitchen, able to make even the of blandest meals taste like they came from a world class restaurant, or maybe even better. He couldn't wait to find out what her smoothies would taste like, especially since she seemed to be working with cherries, purple grapes and strawberries.

She beamed at him brightly, "Yip, I thought it would be a good idea to get you hooked on a treat that's healthy for you." While holding his gaze, she pointed at an empty seat in front of her, "Sit!"

Yami playfully rolled his eyes, "I'm not that hurt-"

"Not listening," she said in a sing-song voice, before looking up at Yugi, "Would you like me to make you one too Yugi?"

Trust Tea to try and make things_ normal_. He smiled at her and shook his head, "Nah, its okay, thanks."

Yami stole one of the cherries and popped it into his mouth, stem and all, as he watched Tea work her magic, adding all sorts of secret ingredients into the blender, before she looked up and smiled at Yugi. "Hey, Yugi, would you mind doing me a small favour tonight? But only if you got time."

Yugi beamed at her, "Of course, I'll even make time if I have to, what do you need? I can get you anything you ask for!"

"Well…" Tea began, before a light blush burnt onto her cheeks. "I kind of need my stuff."

Yugi chuckled lowly, and nodded his head in understanding, "Totally get it, sorry about that, I just wasn't expecting you to need any clothes while you were with him." He nudged his head in Yami's direction, as he choked in shock, before slamming a fist into his shoulder. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

Tea giggled nervously, though clearly embarrassed. "Um, thanks Yugi."

Yami growled warningly at Yugi, shaking his head in a slow threatening manner that was signalling a lot of pain in the near future for his younger twin, before he came to the end of his cherry's juicy flesh, leaving behind only the stem, which he had a certain ritual of dealing with. His cheek twitched slightly, which caught Yugi's attention first, and after seeing him stare at Yami with such focussed curiosity, Tea found herself looking at him too. Yami didn't realize he was the centre of attention and continued to play with the stem in his mouth until he had knotted it, before carefully pulling it out in the politest way he could, discovering he was been watched the second he looked up.

"What the hell did you just do?" Yugi gasped.

Yami looked between Tea's awed expression, and Yugi's shocked one, and suddenly felt very unsure of himself, wondering what he had done wrong. "Uh…what are you talking about?" He had only stolen a damn cherry, so why were they looking at him like that?

"I didn't know you could do that?" Tea said lowly, with wide amazed eyes that suddenly held a tinge of…_lust_? What the hell was going on? Yami looked down and saw his knotted stem, and suddenly wondered if this was what they were talking about.

"You mean this?"

Yugi leaned over, with his jaw partly dropped open, as he observed the stem with a critical and then suddenly bemused look, before he sat back in his chair and shook his head. "Unbelievable!"

"What-" Yami tried, but Tea, with a rather suggestive smile, stopped him to explain.

"Being able to do that-" she pointed to the knotted stem, "Proves that you're a good kisser." She winked at him. "Which is really sexy."

"Eww, can I please not hear how 'sexy' my brother is, yuck! I mean I shouldn't even know that he's a good kisser! That information should be classified!" Yugi groaned and complained, seeming to bring his hands up to cover his ears.

"Alright Yugi, then I won't go on to tell you all about his other 'amazing' skills that I'm picturing right now…" Tea winked at Yami once again, to which he hotly, smirked in response to.

Yugi cringed and looked as though he was about to throw up, "Not an image I ever want in my head!"

"Or how naturally _gifted_ he is," Tea continued, now outright tormenting them both in different ways; the first been that she was severely turning Yami on, and the second been that she was psychologically damaging Yugi's state of mind.

"That is it! I don't think I'm old enough to be sitting here for this, and I'm definitely not going to hang around to watch you two go at each other like a couple of horny teen-" he paused for a second and shook his head, "Never mind! I'm still out of here!"

Yami reached out and grabbed the end of his shirt, which stopped him from leaving. "Don't forget to put some pants on before you leave."

Yugi shot Yami a disappointed look, "Oh for Ra's sake, you don't really believe I'd forget to do something like _that_ do you?"

Yami shrugged, before giving him a more serious look, "And get Lamia to get you Tea's things."

Yugi frowned at him, "Why?"

"Because I said so," Yami answered simply, without offering an explanation.

"Say guys?" Tea suddenly piped up, which brought both their attentions to her. "When will I actually get to meet her?"

The twins shared a brief, uncomfortable look, before Yugi eventually said, "You don't want to."

Yami rolled his eyes, and stopped Tea before she could ask further into Yugi's judgemental comment. "I'm not comfortable with allowing her anywhere near you until I know that I can trust her."

"Yeah, and she's got a few screws loose too, which makes it worse," Yugi commented, which almost earned him another mini blow to the shoulder.

"She's not crazy Yugi, just…eccentric," Yami explained, kindly.

"_Eccentric_? What the hell would you know? I've actually spent time with her!" Yugi argued.

"Whoa, wait, crazy? Is she safe to be allowed on the streets then? I mean, could she hurt someone?" Tea asked, totally unaware of the painful predicament she had put her boyfriend in.

To tell the truth, or stretch it…that was what Yami had to decide, but unexpectedly, Yugi had his back, as he waved her off. "Nah, she may be a little screwed up, but most of our kind, generally are…even me," he winked at her playfully. "The streets are as safe as they were, _before she arrived_. It's just that, we aren't too sure if she's broken ties with that-" Yugi waved his hand around in a loose circle as he tried to think of the name he was looking for, "Baka-uru guy. Once we know for absolute certainty that we're playing on the same side, you two can meet and be the greatest BFFs ever and so on and so forth. Okay?"

Tea nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer, before shoving the last of her ingredients into the blender. "Okay Yugi, I trust you."

_Why did she have to say that!_ Yugi almost flinched, but managed to hold onto the friendly smile he had plastered over his lips.

Yami didn't seem to notice anything other than Tea, whom he was studying with a scorching gaze that Yugi honestly believed, would eventually leave marks. It was suddenly getting too hot in that kitchen for his comfort level.

'_Seriously, you don't need to be so damn obvious about it, you perv!' _Yugi mailed him telepathically, throwing his older twin a disgusted look. _'It's gross!'_

Yami raised an eyebrow as though he didn't understand what Yugi had meant, until it finally dawned on him, and he shot him a semi-apologetic look, before adding, "Enjoy your date."

"Thanks, I will," he replied back politely, before telepathically adding, _'Anything, will be better than knowing what's going to happen the second I leave...nasty.' _

"Enjoy you're evening Yugi and good luck!" Tea called after him, to which he waved and blew her a kiss as a response, before disappearing through the door that led into the garage. "Say Yami, did you notice how bouncy he was tonight? It's like he couldn't sit still."

Yami snickered, and made his way over to her side, before pulling her into a comfortable embrace. "Nervous energy…lots and lots of nervous energy."

* * *

(**A few minutes later**)

The place was quiet when Yugi left, providing the exact, _intense_ situation that Yami and Tea needed to allow temptation and desire to get the better of them, though a certain idea on Yugi's behalf had provided some inspiration as to where and how they'd go about it…

Tea gave Yami a quick kiss, allowing him only a small taste of what was to come, before picking up her delicious smoothie, and disappearing out the room, leaving him to finish his, in silence while she went on to prepare the hot tub. When she found it however, in a secret, separate section of the indoor garden, her mouth gaped, open in absolute amazement and awe, never having seen anything quite like it before, except in her wildest of dreams and fantasies.

It looked like a heavenly oasis, with a hot tub 'pool' disguised as a bottomless hot spring, surrounded by realistic stone structures that made up part of a volcanic appearing dome that also served as a fountain, which bled water back into the tub in a long and gentle, misty curtain-like, stream. Surrounding it were also exotic appearing ferns and Irish ground moss hugging the rocks; and to top the exotic, paradise look off, were the hanging transparent drapes that would close off their private affairs with a simple tug at the golden rope holding them back. All it needed now were a few burning candles, which she found in a tiny supply closet, conveniently beside the tub, all strawberry scented, as well as a bottle of massaging oil.

She had been busy lighting the candles and placing them along the tub's edge, when Yami had followed her scent into the room and found her, sharing one look between her and the tub, and smirked. "I think I'm in the right place."

Tea winked and grinned at him, before placing the red candle she was holding down beside her, and leant back to look up at her boyfriend who was suddenly towering over her. He lightly stroked the side of her face, before leaning down to capture her lips with his, sliding his hand down her shoulder until it reached her waist, and then pulled her closer to him. At first their lips just smoothed against each other, but then Yami began to nibble her bottom lip, which created a hot pulsation of electric spikes and pleasurable chills through them. Tea deepened the kiss, initiating a tongue war, putting Yami's _skills_ to good use.

When pressed her up against his body, Tea could feel the nudge of his hardened member against her exposed thigh, and allowed one of her hands, which she had had pressed up against his firm muscular chest, slide downward with passionate slowness, until she reached his crotch, teasingly giving him a firm squeeze through his leather that caused him to gasp and clench his eyes shut.

"_Tea_…" he whispered alluringly, thickly caked with evident need and desire.

Hearing his voice pitched as low and as deeply as that, excited Tea, who gave him another firm stroke, before sliding her thumb beneath the belt line of his pants, lightly caressing the skin that just covered the sharp bone of his hip. Yami sighed breathlessly, before opening his eyes and focussing his dark, crimson gaze on the beauty before him. "That is not fair."

Tea offered him a desirable and suggestive grin as she removed her hand away from his lower region, in which he actually pouted at the loss of contact for, before running both her hands up his chest, been careful not to add to much pressure around his sensitive heart area, and rested them at his collarbone. "_I don't play fair_."

Yami's lips curled into a smirk. "I think I could still - _deal with that_," he leant down and whispered in her ear, before kissing the sensitive spot on her neck just below it. _And how he would enjoy it_…

He pulled back from Tea, still holding her, and glanced at the dark, bubbling water. "Hmm…that water looks really _inviting_."

Tea giggled lowly, as she massaged his shoulders from the front. "Yeah it does, doesn't it, want to get in?"

Yami stole a quick glance at her, while she had her attention on the tub, and grinned mischievously. He took her by the hips and pushed her backward a little as he leant into her, which she seemed to trust for a while, until he had her dangerously over the edge, using one strong arm to support her back so that she didn't slide out his hold. She shot him a questioning glance; before he started to hungrily nibble her throat with kisses, putting her at a false sense of security, while he bent his right knee up, to lean against the ledge.

By the time she realized what he was doing they were falling into the tub, smoothly and easily, plummeting through the sultry and bubbling liquid, which engulfed them, still in mid kiss. It was the only time that they truly realized the enormity of the tub, which was far deeper than it had looked from the surface. Yami held Tea up as they burst to the surface for air, him laughing whereas she gasped in shock.

"Ah!" she squeaked, "Yami, my robe-"

He cut her off with a hungry and passionate kiss, while his hand wondered down her side, and escaped through a wet, open flap that allowed him to the feel skin that covered her ribs. She eagerly returned the kiss, and pressed her body up closer to him, before wrapping her legs around his waist, and rubbed up against his evident bulge, which earned a low growl of suppressed need from Yami's throat.

The white silk of her kimono-styled night robe, clung to her body, transparently revealing what had been hidden beneath it in the most erotic way imaginable, whereas Yami's black bad-boy, sleeveless shirt left nothing to the imagination. Remembering how his chest looked beneath the shower back in her apartment, Tea could no longer resist the temptation to peel off his offending garment.

Her hands snuck beneath the hems of his shirt, as she slowly lifted it up. Once _that_ was removed, she quickly began nipping at the exposed flesh, which shone brightly in the warm glow of the candle light, seeming to truly emphasise his muscular form. Yami on the other hand, had undone the ribbon that held the silky material together, and managed to pry it off her, loving the sensation of her completely exposed form pressed against him.

As their kissing became hungrier, while their skin clutching and petting became more adventurous, they were no longer conscious of anything but the pleasure and excitement. He absently sat back on the tub's underwater ledge, and pulled Tea up on top of him, in which she straddled his hips with her legs; all without breaking their kiss.

Eventually, though, Yami was woken up from his dazed unconscious haze, when his pants got so tight with arousal that they began to uncomfortably constrict his lower half, making it too painful to ignore. He moved his hand downward to unzip his pants, and was relieved by the sense of open freedom it gave him once he got it undone.

Tea pulled away from his slightly, while still hugging him around the neck and looked into his eyes. "Are you sure this isn't hurting you?"

Yami smirked, and using both his hands, guided her down by the hips onto his crotch, groaning softly as the physical sensation sent ripples of pleasure all through his body. "Definitely not hurting me," he whispered huskily with his eyes closed, as he tried to steady his breathing and control.

Tea laughed softly as she grinded into him, earning another light growl from him. "I wanted to give you a massage first," she whispered in his ear.

Yami winced, before _puppy_ pouting.

She giggled at his expression before playfully rolling her eyes, "I guess there's time for that _later_." She winked at him, before positioning herself to allow him easy access into her, inviting him in with a suggestive smirk of her own, which had him submitting to her entirely. They shared a brief hot look, before Yami thrust into her, and she had to bite her lip to prevent a cry from escaping her.

He wrapped his arms around her, before pulling her as close to him as possible, as he continued to thrust in and out of her at a slow, but intense pace, and kissed his way along her neck until he reached her ear, where he whispered his command. "Don't hold back, _I want to hear you tonight_."

"Yami!" Tea moaned his name in desire, as she clawed at his back. He sounded way too hot to be real.

His thrusts became faster and harder, and Tea bobbed her body in time with each of them, feeling her walls constrict around its saucy invader, and a build up of energy she couldn't wait to release. "Ra…Tea, you're so tight," Yami growled lustfully against the crook of her neck.

_That's because he was so_ _big_, but Tea didn't have time to voice her answer, as he hit her sweet spot dead on. She cried out in absolute bliss, unable to hold it back, and stuck her nails into the soft tissue of his shoulders, as she threw her head back. The pleasure was intense; so much that it vibrated through them. Yami hissed enjoyably at the sharp pain of her nails digging into his skin, which added as an additional thrill factor, and nipped at the side of her neck, gently enough so that he didn't draw blood, _though the instinct was there_.

When he hit her spot a second time, she was less hesitant to hold back her moans, and repeatedly chanted his name in his ear. He tightened his hold on her as he felt his body reached its peak, and by the feel of her walls clenching tightly around him he could tell that she was reaching hers as well.

By some sudden instinct, far more powerful than he had ever encountered with in the past, Yami had found himself with his lips near Tea's neck, his fangs just a fraction away from her skin. There were no hindering thoughts to stop him, no conscious ability to realize his actions, only the idea that it would make their _experience_ even better. He closed in on her, lightly brushing the tips along her bare skin, as he listened to her needy pants and moans, sensing the explosion before it came. So close… All he needed to do was bite down. _His instincts were screaming at him!_

"Oh gods, Yami!" Tea alarmed him, as her entire body tensed with his, snapping him out of his trance.

He instinctively braced himself, by tightening his grip onto her, forcing his fangs back to where they belonged as his heart raced against his chest, both at the intensity of their oncoming climax as well as the shock of what he had almost done. However, as soon as their orgasm clawed its hold on them, there was no thinking, _only feeling_. Tea called out his name, and bit down on his shoulder, almost breaking through skin. His breath hitched in his throat and he thrust just one last time, before collapsing back, and felt Tea do the same.

She wrapped her arms around him, and sighed blissfully, before kissing him up the chest, until she eventually found his lips, muttering several words in between them as she went along. "You. Are. A. God!"

He forced a low chuckle, before kissing her back, his mind reeling at the thought of what could have happened if she hadn't broken him out of his haze. That was close…_too close_.

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in content, finding everything about the world at that moment to be absolutely perfect… until something clicked and the hot tub stopped working.

They both shot each other a questioning look, before Yami pulled away slightly and angled his neck to see into one of the other room's, finding it to be absolutely dark. "Looks like the power's out," he figured, before reluctantly bringing Tea closer to him. "I guess one of '_The Lampies'_ screwed up somewhere."

Tea giggled, before placing both her hands on the sides of his face and looked back into his eyes, which reacted beautifully to candle light, and kissed him. Yami held back for a second, still wary of having any physical contact with her, but immediately fell victim to her kiss.

"By the way…" she whispered in between the kiss.

"Mmmhmm?" Yami mumbled back.

"Will you…teach me…how…to knot…cherry stems…sometime?"

Yami smiled into the kiss, before deepening it, his actions speaking way louder than words.

* * *

**(- To Yugi)**

Yugi had trouble adjusting to the anxiety that was crawling beneath his skin, and felt his grip automatically tighten on the steering wheel as he made a turn. Contraire to popular belief, it was actually true that Yugi had not gone on many dates before…in fact this could technically be classified as his _second_, that is, if he didn't count a unique outing with Dendera as his first, which was sometimes hard to figure out. But no, Yugi didn't date - sure he had 'swing-by-flings' and brief one night stands, but he had never actually taken a girl out and spent what he considered to be 'innocent' time with her for more than a few hours, actually…_talking _about stuff. It had been an idea so foreign to him that Yugi had honestly believed he never would…and yet, _here he was_, about to take Razz on a date.

_Was he losing it_?

He blinked several times as though trying to wake up from a dream, before twitching his mouth slightly, as his mind drifted back to thoughts of Dendera, who he always seemed to think about whenever he thought about girls in general, and remembered the outing they had on the night of his eighteenth birthday, which was the closest thing he could think of that he had ever come to an actual _date_.

One that he'd definitely never be able to mimic with Razz.

(_Flashback_)

Hands clawed their way down his chest, smudging the trails of blood that stained his skin, into splotchy patterns, while he thrust hard and fast into her, pounding her body further and further into the bed that her body was laid on. The _vampire_ girl screamed in ecstasy before throwing her head back as he hit her sweet spot over and over again, sending her long red hair back like a velvet curtain, as she dug her nails deeply into his skin. Yugi hissed at the intensity of the pleasure brought on by the sharp pain, and immediately sank his fangs into the side of her neck, bringing forth an orgasm that had the young seductress squirming beneath him. He grunted with his eyes shut tightly, breathing heavily as the pleasure subsided, before forcing himself off her and rolled onto his back, at her side.

It was his eighteenth birthday, though it hardly mattered to anyone in the tomb, as unlike the modern era, the ancient Egyptians, which happened to be the generation that mostly governed the vampires there, did not celebrate birthdays. There was no birthday feast or any happy birthday greetings for him that evening when he had awoken, just like the all the other 17 birthdays that had come and gone just like any other normal day, nobody cared.

The only one whose human years they cared about now, was Yami's, not that they granted him any special attention either.

_So_…In the end, Yugi had decided to simply celebrate his own birthday in the best way he knew how. And Lazuli was just that.

Lazuli was a somewhat younger vampire, who although not quite as _skilled_ as Dendera was in their category of vampire, definitely made one hell of a long-lasting impression. Her dark red locks in a shade that appeared eerily like blood and crystal clear silver eyes, specked with light blue sparks, had given her an odd kind of _evil_ beauty; one which had a surprising reaction on the young prince, who openly displayed his preference for brunettes.

Unlike Dendera, Lazuli was more submissive and enjoyed been taken, rather than trying to dominate him, which may have been the spark of his attraction to her in the fist place. He didn't like to dwell on it however and immediately started to climb back into his leather pants, which was the only item of clothing that had survived their lustful encounter, as his shirt lay in a shredded tatter by the foot of the bed, stained with their dark blood that was mixed together intimately.

Lazuli stroked her bare chest in slow motion with a saucy look in her eyes and a seductive pout as she regarded his muscular form, before biting her lip and giving a low needy groan. Yugi however, didn't feel like playing her game anymore, having grown bored with her already and wanted to move onto a different girl…preferably one he could feed off of.

"My prince, are you sure you want to leave so soon…?" The invite was pretty clear, and Yugi was tempted to take her up on that offer, which he probably would have, if the heavy wooden doors to the harem's chamber, didn't bang open as Dendera strode in, brimming with dark power and elegance.

"My apologies _sister_, but our high priest demands your presence immediately," she said breezily, casting her former apprentice an icy glare, which sent the young vampire enough of an indication to get out of the room quickly, if she valued her existence. She slid gracefully off the silky bedspread and rose to her feet, almost seeming to float as she made her way over to Yugi, before giving him a respectful bow and disappeared out the room, briefly flashing him one last look that made it quite clear, he could _call on her_ at any time he wished. Dendera waited for her to leave, before turning to him and smiled, "Did you enjoy your playtime, Prince Yugi?"

"Nice dress," Yugi commented, without paying her any further attention, his mood suddenly dark as anger set in.

Dendera had been disrespectful by barging in on him and having the audacity to send away his little toy for the evening without his permission, an insolent act that in most circumstances would have gotten her destroyed, but Dendera was far too confident in her ability to '_control_' him. At least, that was what she thought she was doing. Yugi on the other hand, knew exactly what she was up to, and played along for the mere thrill of it, but that didn't mean he'd simply let her make decisions for him.

She glanced down at her simply pleated white dress made of fine silk that hugged her body smoothly and emphasized its hotness…but it was also something that she wore often and hardly special enough to warrant much of a compliment from him, especially when he had a blatant lack of concern for anything she wore, preferring to see her naked. "Why…_thank you_ Sire."

"I'm going out," Yugi said in a low, almost threatening tone, which warned her that he did not want to be disturbed or hindered.

He felt Dendera boldly run a hand up his bare back and stroke the back of his neck. "I have something prepared for you," She whispered lowly, before running her tongue along the spot her fingers had previously caressed, stopping at his hairline.

"I don't care," Yugi hissed, before shrugging her away from him with a violent twist, stunning her momentarily as he tried to stalk his way over to the open doorway. She moved in front of him before he could leave the room, and cutely leant back against the frame, giving him an enticing look, while cocking her head to the side and studying him.

"Are you angered that I rid you of that _inexperienced child_, my much _more deserving_ Prince?" She was playing with him now, secretly taunting him from the side, like she usually did. He could always hear it in her voice and see it in her soulless eyes.

"I just want to find better company to spend my evening with, now get out my way," Yugi commanded in a voice filled with authority, which when used on most vampires, even ones much older than himself, would have them immediately obeying him and scattering out his way… Dendera however, was different.

She grinned up at him and cutely shook her head in a childlike way, "But it's your birthday…I wanted to _pleasure_ you with something special that I know you'd like!"

Yugi threw her a questioning look, before frowning with a certain amount of curiosity. "Why?"

There was a spark of something in her eyes that seemed unsure and somewhat nervous, but it was gone just as quickly as it came, and replaced by her seductive confidence. "Do I need a reason?"

Yugi gazed at her suspiciously.

She was one of the oldest existing vampires that made up their clan, born and raised during the dynasty of Rameses the second, as the daughter of one of the said pharaoh's sons, and despite her absolute fascination with the modern era, she was the perfect example of a vampire who could never let go of the traditions and customs that she had been brought up with during her own time. This was something Yugi learnt when he actually spent time with the beautiful seductress, and it was because of this that Yugi found her motives quite suspicious, because she was the very last person he had ever expected to break tradition. "I guess not…"

She lifted off her leaning post and glided over to him, before eyeing his chest hungrily. "Mmm…Lazuli needs to learn how to retract her claws," she purred, before pressing her lips to the skin, in the hollow of his neck. "I don't know why you went to her instead of me." For a moment Yugi detected a slight tinge of hurt pride in her voice, but ignored it as she started to lick the blood off him. He stood still, watching her as she eventually dropped to her knees, cleaning him off while presenting the most erotic sight she could muster, for his entertainment.

"I take it we won't have far to go, if you have time to adorn me with this kind of attention?" Yugi muttered eventually, when she reached the middle of his stomach, trying to mask the desire in his voice with a bored sounding one, as sinful images of what he could do to her played in his mind. She smiled against his skin, before pulling away and standing up straight, slowly wiping away a smear of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, I plan to bestow you with a lot more my Prince…" she smirked at him seductively, before running her index finger down his chest and over the ripples of his abs. "But as for the location, _well_…we must move quickly."

She held out her hand to him, which he took reluctantly, deciding he'd rather see for himself what she was up to, than spend an entire night curiously wondering about it. She briskly lead him out of the tomb and passed several other vampires who were skulking around in the shadows, some throwing him wary and frightened glances, while others bowed their heads in respect. None of them were brave enough to throw him any snide remarks or show any defensive reactions to his presence like they had in the past, which he ignored dismissively.

Once they reached the top of the stone stairway and flung aside the doors, a warm gust of desert air engulfed them, blowing Yugi's bangs to the side of his face with a gentle, motherly caress that he could hardly feel. She continued to drag him along behind her, without stopping, as she made her way down the side of the tomb and along an invisible pathway that lead more towards the great open desert, which was devoid of any life and vegetation. "Where are you taking me?" he sighed in annoyance. Truthfully he had hoped they'd go more towards the nearby city, where he could pick up a _snack_ along the way.

"Patience my Prince, _patience_," she responded in a sing song voice that carried through the night like an angelic siren's call, before giggling lightly in a ringing bell like tone.

Yugi glanced around at their surroundings, taking in the tall sand dunes that would find themselves somewhere else by morning, and the bright twinkling of the stars above them of an entire galaxy, fully exposed without the distraction of Cairo's city lights and obstruction of clouds. He had hoped that he'd at least see a shooting star this time, but was without any luck, as Dendera pulled him to a stop. "Allow me to put a blindfold on you, Sire," Dendera requested sweetly, as a long silky black cloth had spontaneously materialized in her hands. _Where had that come from?_

Yugi didn't like the idea of been led blindly somewhere, but he didn't want to look like a coward in front of her, so he simply shrugged and allowed it, before been led away yet again while she held his arm. When they eventually came to a stop, he noted something different in the air. It seemed heavier and had an ancient feel of some kind of sacredness to it, along with an old and new vibe of suffering and fear. _Strange_…

Yugi reached up and pulled his blindfold off before Dendera had the chance, and was surprised to come face to face with a doorway that led into a tomb. "What is this place?" he asked through a frowned expression. He could hear a human's steady beating heart from somewhere down below in its pitch black darkness that almost seemed endless, but what interested him most, was the dark vibe he got off the place that seemed conflicted by holiness.

"This is where they executed the ones who practiced Shadow magic, as well as any other, who dealt the pharaohs of Egypt great offence during the ancient times. And by executed I mean sacrificed...whether or not the pharaohs knew of it, remains unclear." She was massaging his shoulders as she whispered the tomb's grizzly past in his ear, before moving away and took a step ahead of him, taking his hand along with her. "Come on, I have _better_ use for it."

Yugi glanced at it warily, before making a step to follow her, sensing eyes on him as he followed her into the infinite darkness, wondering what the hell she had up her sleeve. Seeing where they were going was naturally not a problem, as Yugi could see as clearly as a human could in sunlight, but what he saw, hardly made any sense. Growing up and living in the tombs, had given Yugi a good indication on how they should look…but this tomb in particular, seemed way more cave like with hardly any decoration on the walls or floors. He was too caught up in his own thoughts however, that he hadn't realized they were nearing a stop, until Dendera clutched his hand and slowed to a halt in front of a large door.

"What I have for you waits in there," she whispered into his ear huskily, sending anxious chills through his body, which vibrated his _needs_ quite clearly. He tried to turn off his emotions and shrugged, before taking a step forward and pushing the door open, unexpectedly encountering a sight he knew he'd never forget for as long as he remained walking on the Earth.

The first thing his gaze was drawn to was the young human girl in the centre of the room, sitting by a fire that was burning out of an enormous stone structure that looked similar to a goblet, seeming too deep in thought to even realise their presence. The next, were the walls, which looked as though it had been paved over with millions of white and glassy quartz stones, sparkling red in the firelight.

He suddenly felt Dendera stir at his side, as she ran one of her hands along his bare arm before sliding something up it. He whipped his head around to see what she was doing and was surprised to find that she was dressing him in a studded leather jacket, which he immediately recognized as one of Yami's favourites, and raised an eyebrow.

"This looks much better on you," Dendera purred in his ear seductively, after noticing his questioning expression, as she slid it all the way up to cover his shoulder.

Yugi knew it was all a load of crocodile crap, but remained silent as she dressed his other arm in the second sleeve, suddenly engulfed by Yami's scent, which was strong enough to insinuate that he had just worn it not less than ten minutes ago. _How convenient_…

When she was done, she smirked up at him and gestured to the girl with an evil glint in her eye. "A gift," she whispered, which was loud enough to startle the girl in attention to their presence at long last. She squinted through the darkness as she tried to distinguish them from the shadows, before nervously calling out to them.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

She had a strange and unusual sounding accent, one that Yugi had never heard before.

"_Dendera_…is that you?" she said in a low and wary voice, cowering back slightly, as though she thought moving an inch further away from them, would make any difference if her life was in danger.

_She knew Dendera by name_? He looked over at the vampire beside him, with an eyebrow raised questionably, and found her wicked smile almost alarming, as she winked at him and gestured him forward, before stepping into the light and giving the human an almost friendly smile.

"Fear not my little friend, it is indeed I…and a very special _other_," she smirked back at Yugi, as he followed her into light, before returning her attention back to the girl, who gasped upon seeing him. "As promised, I was not gone long." It was strange for him to hear her speak English, but there was no denying what the sound of her thick accent around each word, was doing to him…_though he did try to hide it_.

Yugi followed after her silently as they neared the burning fire, wondering what she was up to, and how this human came to be here. Once they neared the girl however, Yugi was able to get a better look at her, and was surprised to see her completely unharmed without even a scratch or bruise, not exactly Dendera's style of taking someone captive. She was a pretty blonde girl with long curly hair, large blue eyes and a pinkish complexion, seeming to have the kind of frail skin that preferred to burn and blister in the sun rather than tan, with a delicate build that Yugi imagined was easily breakable. However, as he could see her, she could see him, and the more she took in his physical appearance the more her eyes filled with that horrid human, _school girl_ crush delight.

"Whoa, um, hello!" she greeted him shyly, as she twirled a blonde strand of curly hair around her finger in nervous habit, which made Yugi desperately want to ask Dendera why she was putting him through this, until it all suddenly became perfectly clear…the moment he caught her innocent _virgin_ scent.

Oh Dendera had most certainly outdone herself this time. He gave the girl a charmed smile, glad that the shadows of the tomb hid the mean spark in his eyes from her. "Evening."

He and Dendera shared a brief look of understanding as he mentally signalled her that they were in fact on the same page, and he _liked it_. This was exactly the kind of game that he needed.

"Little friend, this is the prince of our kind," Dendera informed the human with a friendly voice, even though her eyes were cruel and amused, which seemed to escape her attention. So the human knew what they were already…that was interesting. Yugi had never seen one this calm about that fact before, unless he had manipulated them himself.

'_She knows the secret about our existence and yet you left her here, unattended, without so much as a binding to hold her in place?' _Yugi sent her telepathically, giving her a questioning look.

Dendera grinned, "My Prince, meet our little foreign friend here who lost her way in the desert-"

"Yeah, I'm terrible with direction," she giggled nervously, completely oblivious to Dendera's strained expression as she tried to maintain her sweet, loving exterior, while the girl went on, "I-if it wasn't for her, I'd be done for, for sure."

Yugi couldn't help his grin of amusement as he watched Dendera's struggle for control over her emotions, as she hated been interrupted in mid sentence, and would never stand for being interrupted by a lowly human on any other normal circumstance. "Ah yes, that is she…a _saviour_ that knows no bounds."

She secretly shot him a dirty look, before smiling widely and continuing, "Ah yes indeed, but it seems that her little human life is burdened by a hardship that we, in all our years of existence, have no way of knowing or fully understanding, a suffering in her heart that has led her to seek escape from her human life and instead, wants to join ours of the night and live _immortally_…" Dendera was making fun of her, but the human girl seemed to be buying her phoney compassion and nodded sombrely.

This was going to be fun.

Yugi picked a character that he wanted to play, before offering her his brightest and most, compassionate smile, as he kneeled down beside her. "I understand your pain," he sympathised in a low voice, which he absently realized sounded a lot like Yami's. He gently took her hand, which surprised her momentarily, before softly kissing it. "And after tonight, I'll make sure that you'll be free of it forever." _It just wouldn't be in the same way that she imagined_.

The girl blushed at his kind gesture, and looked away shyly, muttering a polite 'thank you,' when she had absolutely nothing to thank him for. Stupid human. "What is your name?" he asked her softly, daring to sit beside her on what he now noticed was a very, sturdy mattress made of the finest quality, which Dendera must have placed there for her somewhere along the line, dressed in fine silk and satin sheets, that glistened richly in the fire light.

"Amy," the girl responded, shyly, unable to hold his gaze for more than a few seconds.

Yugi reached out and caught one of her curls, before lightly tugging it and watching it spring back up. "Where are you from, _Amy_?" He was honestly quite curious about her nationality, betting that it was perhaps from some random island off the coast of Australia, where the locals spoke a bit differently from the continent that it was situated beside.

"South Africa," she responded.

Yugi glanced at her in genuine surprise, as she didn't seem the type at all to be growing up in a jungle with wild animals. He could suddenly believe that her _problems_ may have been very real after all. He was somewhat tempted to pause the game for a moment, and ask her a series of questions on how exactly that worked out, but that would have only led to bonding…and Yugi didn't bond with strange humans from jungle countries. Though he could definitely picture her in a makeshift leopard hide, with blood dripping, seductively down her body as though she had come back from a kill.

"Interesting," he muttered, before lightly trailing his fingers along her neck, in which she responded to by flinching away from his touch and staring at him questioningly.

He smiled at her challengingly, before boldly reaching out yet again and stroking the side of her shoulder. He could tell by the quickening of her pulse and the distrustful look in her eye, that he was making her uncomfortable. "You have very soft skin…_very touchable_." Behind her, Dendera stood holding a bottle of red wine up with a questioning look. _'I hope you brought more,' _he sent her telepathically, to which she gave him an amused grin and winked.

"Uh…thanks," Amy said politely, before shifting out of his reach.

Dendera laughed at the human's reaction, while she poured the wine into crystal goblets, startling Amy's attention to her. She glanced at the human, before faking an apologetic smile and shook her head, as though reprimanding herself for been so careless, "Oh forgive me my little human friend, it's just been so long since I've seen a _virgin_ resist him."

_There ever was a time?_

The girl blushed profusely, and seemed to take offence to Dendera's words. "I…I…I'm not-"

The vampires laughed, sharing in on a private joke, which alienated her. "Don't bother little one," Dendera purred, as she handed Amy a goblet of wine, sharing a secret glance with Yugi. "_We know these things_."

Amy looked at the wine in her glass and tried to give it back, "I-I can't drink this."

Yugi chuckled as he took the one Dendera offered him, "And why is that, _Amy_?"

Amy nervously darted her gaze between them and the goblet she held, almost as though Dendera had handed her a vile of poison to drink. "I'm under-aged."

Yugi grinned at her, before moving closer into her space. "I thought you wanted to be free of rules?"

He caught sight of the visible chills that went through her at the sound of his voice, and smirked triumphally. Just a little longer…that was all it was going to take to get to her, _without his powers_.

"I…I do," she gulped nervously at the close contact.

Yugi slowly placed his hand around the one that was holding her cup, and guided it up to her lips, never breaking eye contact with her. "Then join our world, _Amy_." She winced as the liquid touched her lips, but parted them anyway to allow it to run down her throat. While drinking Yugi released the glass, and slowly dragged his knuckles down her throat with delicate care, reaching the hollow passage between her small breasts, when she finally reacted and jolted away from him, choking on her wine.

Dendera immediately appeared and knelt down beside her in a dark flash, helping her steady the cup so that she didn't pour any more of its contents on herself. There were dark splotches of red on the white, button up shirt she wore, which reminded Yugi of blood in the firelight. "Now what are we going to do about that shirt?" Dendera tsked, but Amy wasn't worried about the shirt.

"What were you doing?" she squeaked at Yugi questioningly, bringing her knees up to her chest in an attempt to hide herself from him.

Yugi smirked at her hotly, before inching closer to her in a slow predatory way. "Making my intentions clear, I thought it would be obvious," he all but purred in a husky and totally attractive tone, "Or is it that you've never been _desired_ before?"

The girl frowned at him, once again offended. "No!" she huffed angrily through clenched teeth, before turning to glare at the fire angrily. "_You have no right to touch me_."

For a split second Yugi believed that Dendera was going to slap the human across the face and break her nose, for her insolence, as her gold eyes darkened with anger that was tilting from the edge of rage, and her right hand clawed at her side, but his laughter stopped her before she could act.

"You amuse me, _Amy_," he teased, "Are you afraid that I'll claim your…_innocence_?"

She shot Yugi a flushed glare.

Dendera laughed at her meanly, no longer playing the part of a friendly older vampire. "Oh please _little girl_, you wouldn't have even the slightest idea on how to pleasure him, and the Prince does not have time to teach you how."

"That's not true!" the girl cried out in defence, before biting her lip.

Dendera looked down at her, smugly. "Oh, but it is…and you know it. Why else do you shy away from his advances? I'll tell you why, it's because you know in your heart that'll you dissatisfy him."

"That's not true! I'm just not a slut!" she growled angrily.

For a moment Dendera gazed around herself, deep in thought, as she went through her English vocabulary, until she figured out what 'slut' meant, and grinned. "That hardly makes any difference." She glanced over at Yugi seductively, before turning back to Amy and offered her a wicked smile. "You are still _cowardly_ inexperienced."

Amy was breathing deeply, appearing to be both angry and terrified all at once, until Dendera gently caressed the side of her face. The vampire's expression had softened to that of a fond older sister's, and her voice low as she all but whispered the words to her, "Being a vampire is freedom, my friend…_my sister_. Let your bindings fall and give in to desire."

Yugi couldn't help but grin at the erotic scene that was about to play out, for his own entertainment, and shot Dendera a look of approval, who winked at him in return, before she regarded Amy, who seemed unsure of herself. She leaned forward and lightly pecked Amy on the lips, which startled the girl. Dendera snickered at her reaction, before seductively swinging her long hair back over her shoulder, and nudged to her chin to where Yugi sat as she regarded the girl in front of her. "Come _sister_, let us put on a show for him."

Whether it was just a matter of pride, excitement, temptation, fear, or simply buying into Dendera's act - the next thing Yugi knew, was that two girls were making out in front of him, contrasting each other brilliantly. Amy's kissing style was light and sweet, and she was blushing darkly with her eyes shut tight and hands firmly at her sides, not daring to move or touch anything. Dendera on the other hand had a more invasive way making out, and in habit, began to caress the girl's sides as she nibbled and bit Amy's bottom lip, before sliding her tongue against hers.

Yugi felt his pants tighten, and lightly ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip, before biting it.

Dendera's hands moved down the hems of Amy's shirt, before she tugged the fabric up, allowing Yugi a brief glimpse of the girl's flat stomach and then dropped it back down so that she could use her hands to course their way upward over her breasts. Amy's breath hitched in her throat, before she moaned in content at the feel of Dendera's touch, who after cupping the girl's tiny mounds, squeezed them through the fabric, and ran her thumbs over her nipples.

'_You're such a fucking tease, Dendera!' _Yugi complained through a wince as his arousal grew.

Dendera smirked as she received the message, and slowly worked her way up to Amy's shirt collar, before unbuttoning it, slowly. Simply wanting to assist in _undressing_ her, Yugi crawled his way over to them, and slowly snaked his hand down to her lower region, giving it a firm stroke, which sent ripples of visible pleasure up her spine, causing her to jerk and moan in Dendera's hold. He grinned wickedly, before moving his focus onto the buckle of her pants.

Dendera in the mean time had her lips to the girl's neck, lightly nibbling along her flesh before suckling it; as she slipped the shirt off her shoulders, leaving her bare, save for the simply designed and partly unattractive beige bra. Amy slowly opened her eyes when she felt a cool draft against her skin, and became aware of her body's exposure. She tried to close in on herself again, but Yugi held her legs down and grinned at her, slowly shaking his head before giving her a wink. He rubbed his hands up her bare thighs, massaging the weak muscles in her legs, while holding her gaze with his intense lustful one, and she could see the flames of the fire reflect off his scarlet irises.

Dendera then pushed her backward to lay her down on the bed, and pinned her arms to the sides, while smirking down at her evilly. "Just think sister, _it'll be like this forever_."

Amy's heart seemed to hitch in its rhythmic beat, which Yugi assumed indicated excitement, but before the idea that she was been severely mislead, _occurred_ to her, he expertly slid a finger into her entrance, which was wet and beyond inviting, and teasingly massaged her walls.

Dendera, side-eyed him questioningly at his intentions, which he responded to by throwing her a mean spirited wink, as he added a second finger to his torturing ritual. Amy cried out in bliss, and bunched the sheets into tights fists, breathing heavily and gasping in delight. It made him almost feel sorry for her, since she would _never _experience the full pleasure of having her cherry popped.

He pulled out of her before she could come, in order to prevent himself from losing control, with the result of damaging her, in which she groaned in protest to. Dendera rose up to a kneeling position to be at eye level with Yugi, before nipping her bottom lip, which allowed blood to drip down the side of her mouth; a sight which had Yugi shivering with anticipation. Amy watched transfixed as the two vampires, leaned forward to share a bloody kiss.

Yugi first licked Dendera's bottom lip before sucking it, forcing a mini gulp's worth of blood to splatter down his chin, and dribble down his toned abs that glowed golden in the light of the fire. He reached his hands up to Dendera's shoulders and roughly forced the sleeves of her white dress down her arms, leaving her bare breasted, in which a trickle of blood that had made its way from the corner of her mouth, trailed down to the silky hollow in between them. Dendera moaned erotically, and gasped when Yugi forced their hips together, rubbing his solid bulge against her entrance as he moved his lips from her mouth to nip at the flesh of her neck.

Amy's body bucked slightly off the makeshift bed, as a dull ache pulsed from her lower region, wanting Yugi in her _so badly_.

They broke away and stared at each other hungrily as the alluring scent of blood coursed temptingly around them. Yugi licked the blood off his lips, before slowly turning his hungry gaze back onto Amy, whose minutes of life were ticking by fast. He crawled on top of her, holding her gaze steadily, as her breathing quickened in anticipation.

He gently caressed her along the side of her neck, before tilting her head backwards and lowered his fangs, which were now fully extended into her neck. She gasped and struggled against him momentarily, before crying out in agony as his fangs tore into her flesh, releasing her clean and delicious tasting, life essence, in a river down his throat. Dendera laughed in cruel joy, and ran her hands over his back, while holding Amy's frightened gaze with a merciless one, as the girl slowly fell into unconsciousness.

Once her pulse had weakened, Yugi released her and growled in satisfaction as her innocent taste lingered on his taste-buds and lips, which he held on to, as he grinded his member against her limp body, hoping to relieve some of his pent up frustration. Dendera immediately reached over and began stroking him from behind, while she attacked his neck with hungry kisses, breathing in his scent - or so he thought – while rubbing her bare breasts against his back.

Yugi turned in her hold, and wrapped his arms around her waist, before leaning her back sideways so that he could lay their bodies down beside Amy's. Once he had her on her back, he ripped the remainder of her dress off, leaving her completely naked beneath him, and attacked the zipper of his pants, before stroking his member that demanded more _special_ attention. Dendera bucked her hips against his, which earned a low gasp from the young prince, before he gave in to a desirable moan of need and pain. He fell forward and stretched out his arms to hold himself up, while Dendera reached in and 'fully' freed his throbbing member, stroking its head teasingly, before positioning it by her entrance.

"Thrust into me my Prince!" she commanded seductively, changing her tongue back into Egyptian.

Yugi complied and thrust into her hard and deep, which earned him a loud cry of passion from her lips instantly. He growled in satisfaction, before continuing his bunny paced thrusts, gaining speed as he continued to pound into her with everything he had. Their pants and moans, echoed in whispers through the tomb, providing an erotic soundtrack to their deed, which was gaining intensity with each thrust. He growled hungrily into her ear, before leaning back onto his haunches and yanked her legs up to place over his shoulders, allowing him the ability to thrust even deeper into her, forcing her to take in _all of him_.

Dendera screamed as pleasure escalated to extreme levels within her, and she violently at clawed his shoulders, slicing them open in long, thick bloody trails. He continued to pound into her, growling and biting his lip, as pain mixed with pleasure, and felt his climax near. His body vibrated with intensity, and he once again grabbed hold of Dendera's hips and brought her up so that she could straddle his hips while he knelt, and increased the speed of his thrusts, while she bobbed up and down his body, swishing her long black hair back and forth in ecstasy, until eventually the need to bite, became too much for either of them to resist.

They bit into each other's necks at exactly the same time, earning a double orgasm, which was intensified by their binding power, which exploded through them like a nuclear missal. They slowed their thrusts as they rode out their pleasure, bodies trembling in the after shock, before Dendera collapsed against him tiredly, which caused him to fall back onto the bed, where they lay for several seconds, trying to catch their breath.

Neither said a word for a long while, though Yugi had been tempted to throw a snarky comment at her, when she snuggled into the leather jacket he wore, and breathed in Yami's scent, but exhaustion had taken its toll on him, and he instead remained uncharacteristically silent about it.

(30 minutes later)

Dendera shifted onto her side beside Yugi, while he lay on his back with his arms folded behind his head, and placed a goblet beneath the deep, droopy slit that ran across Amy's neck, and tilted the head slightly so that blood ran into the glass like an open tap. "It's too bad that their blood gets cold so quickly," Dendera commented with a simple dismissal of the body, and smiled as she handed the cup to Yugi. "Once again, happy 18th birthday!"

Yugi grinned at her and took a sip, his eyes closing as the taste exploded in his mouth and raked through his entire being. "Ah…" he breathed gently, before licking his lips. "You really, _really_, outdid yourself this time."

Dendera caressed a light, intricate pattern on his stomach, before looking back at him. "As long as you enjoyed it Sire, the _pleasure_ was all mine."

(_End flashback_)

Yugi grinned mischievously as he realized that he was going to have to stop at the gas station and used the _bathroom real quick_, before he went on his date. Yeah, how could he ever forget that night? It was also a shame that what followed soon after that outing had been something just short of a nightmare, as part of it had lead to the biggest fallout he and Yami had ever had as brothers.

He breathed in deeply and shook his head while concentrating hard on the road in front of him, making sure that Yami's car was not in any danger. Perhaps this date he was heading off to go on, was not going to be all that bad after all…

_Ha! Who the hell was he kidding? _

* * *

**(- To Ryou)**

The room was pitch black and silent, just the way Ryou liked it when he was all alone and the voices in his head allowed him momentary peace - attending to other _affairs _he imagined - and left him alone to his own private thoughts and feelings, which was the only freedom he ever had. He lay shirtless on his back in front of a large, glass window that overlooked the city below, with his light brown doe-like eyes, wide open and thoughtful, as he contemplated the situation of the twin vampires in Domino City and his _mission_, which now seemed far more complex than what it had sounded in Egypt, before _they _left.

He had come looking for Yami, having an idol kind of respect for the young teen, after having heard _and knowing_ what the young half vampire was capable of before hand, and even in the young prince's presence, he had felt the dark power radiate off him in black tendrils. He was everything Ryou had imagined he would be, _and more_, though the fact that he had taken a human girl as his kind of _mate_, disturbed him, especially since he had not yet _marked_ her as his own. What was his game? The girl knew their secret, and that was bad, _it put her in unfathomable danger_.

Despite his sometimes cruel nature that came with instinct, Ryou was not mean spirited. He didn't want to see a girl as sweet and naïve as Tea seemed to be, to be harmed in a cross fire, which was bound to happen at some point. He knew she didn't deserve it, just as he knew that Yami wouldn't want it to happen…but it was going to, and surely he knew that?

But Ryou wouldn't get in the way, understanding his place and knew it was both impossible and impractical to protect a single human in a war that had been raging since the dawn of his kind. That would have to be Yami's responsibility, though it was a heavy burden to bear alone. Then again there was a second one at his side, the younger he assumed, with an unknown power burning inside him that neither he nor the voices, were aware of, and a fiery inner strength fuelled by rage that made him a possible threat to their final goal, which was deemed unacceptable by the voice named Bakura, and he needed to be destroyed. Ryou had a lot of time, in Bakura's absence, to think about why this was so, and could only conclude that he was a threat because his entire persona was untraceable. They didn't know anything about his strength or power; in fact they hadn't even known he'd existed at all.

Why?

That was the main question. What exactly was this Yugi, and what exactly was he capable of? Perhaps the thing that worried Bakura most was that he suspected that Yugi, was on the same level as his older twin, or stronger. Either way, Ryou didn't see how any of it could possibly be a threat to achieving what he was after. After all, he too was a _half bred vampire_, fully turned.

However, all thoughts vanished the moment his mind inconveniently brushed over to Lamia, his beautiful creation. She was a curious thing, _remarkable_ at times, but dangerously _unstable_, sometimes so much that he treaded around her with caution, like an expert trainer would sometimes tread around one of his unpredictable tigers. He had so badly wanted to tame her, and teach her how to control that deadly fire within her grasp, but Bakura claimed it would make her weak. That didn't matter in the end when _they_ killed her.

Perhaps allowing himself to grow attached to her, had been a big mistake, but it did little to comfort him now.

Lamia…

He shut his eyes tightly and tried to think of anything else, but several memories of her plagued his mind. It was no shameful secret that he had used her for his pleasures, finding her far more attractive than the humans he came across, and really didn't enjoy raping woman. Killing them seemed far more merciful to him, than making them live years under the ugly shadow of being a rape victim, dignified by the fact that he needed to feed and they were his natural prey. So Lamia was used as his consort instead, never protesting once against his advances, which would have made him stop.

No, she allowed him to use her, like most fledging vampires did when bonded to their turners. He didn't know whether he should have felt guilty about it or not, but he couldn't help but think that she should have preferred having him take her, rather than Bakura who was vindictive and cruelly violent with his actions. At least with him, she'd been allowed pleasure too…

Ryou shook his head, trying to shake the memory he knew he was coming to him, but couldn't help it. He growled and bit his lip, feeling his whole body tense. When was it? Time meant very little to him and often went by him, unnoticed, creating quite a struggle when he wanted to remember something in particular. It was recent, on the cargo ship that left from Egypt to America. He remembered that there had been a terrible storm that night, as waves that towered above their vessel smashed into its sides, and rocked it violently back and forth, while heavy rain drops that stung when they hit flesh, cascaded down from the heavens. Both of them, were weak from not having had enough of a healthy blood source, and were unable to do much but sit and be tossed around in their secluded cabin, while mid calf deep water swirled around them.

Lamia had been frightened, showing the first signs of vulnerable emotion that he had seen on her. Usually she was fearless, living like a daredevil with a constant death wish, unafraid of taking anything on…but water had been another story entirely. It took him a lot longer than he had anticipated convincing her, at the harbour, to get one the boat, since flying was out of the question, being that the international airport was under Seto's, the other fully turned half bred with telekinetic and electric powers, control. However, it soon became extremely clear that he would never be able to get her on a boat ever again, when she had practically clawed herself onto the only wooden beam on the ship, and refused to let go of it, her eyes shut tight and her pale complexion seeming a hundred times paler. If any of the crewmen saw her, they would have thought she was a ghost, this being the main reason why he had the door locked.

"Lamia…come now, let go," he spoke to her gently in English, as he tried to pry her arms off the beam, but fear had made her much stronger, and she refused to even budge. Lamia wasn't entirely illiterate in the Egyptian language, able to understand some of it in its basic form, but didn't respond well when it was spoken to her. She was much more comfortable with English, but Ryou was sure that this wasn't her native language either. Trying to get her to tell him anything about herself though, was like asking for Rain in the middle of the desert. Everything he learned about her was mostly from accidental observation.

"Don't be afraid, nothing is going to happen to us," he tried to coax her, but he felt as though he may as well ask the actual beam itself to spit out her nails. She didn't often speak, and usually just answered in one or two sentences before going back into a dream like state and ignoring him once again, and even when she did her words hardly ever made sense, so he didn't actually expect her to answer him…but she surprised him.

"Drowning," she whispered lightly, her eyes still clamped shut, and her nails deepened into the wood.

Ryou raised an eyebrow, before lightly taking her by the shoulders, "_No_…" There was a part of him that wanted to add '_swimming_' after that, but his strange sense of humour had gotten him into trouble more than once, and right now Lamia really didn't seem to be in the mood to laugh…not that she ever did. "Now let go."

Lamia instantly released her beam by pulling her claws out in a flashed movement and fell back into his arms, which he instinctively wrapped around her from behind. She didn't make a move to squirm out of his hold, or even protest, which in any normal circumstance would mean that she wanted to be in them, but with Lamia, you could never quite tell. However, they had been at sea for a very, _very _long time, and holding a girl this close to him in a highly tense situation, was exactly what he needed.

Out of human habit he pressed his lips against the bare skin, of the crook of her neck, offered to him, and lightly nuzzled it, while his arms tightened their hold to make her feel more protected and secure. She didn't offer him any resistance, though now as he thought about it more, she also didn't offer him any encouragement, as her body went limp in his hold and stubbornly devoid of any reaction to his lusting touches and pecks.

She probably hated him, he realized, he probably made her feel sick whenever he moved in on her. Why didn't she ever show it?

He led her over to the cot in the corner, which was beaten up and shaggy looking, as well as damp. The moment they reached the end of the bed, Lamia slumped down on it, her eyes downcast, staring blankly at the water that seemed to be steadily rising. Ryou stroked the back of her neck with slow intricate patterns, before pressing his lips back to it and attacked its soft skin with hungry kisses. She leaned back slightly allowing him better access, which he took full advantage of, while at the same time pushing her body downward onto the sheets.

Her long hair scattered around her head in loose curls, which was the result of sea air, though it still felt softer than silk when he lightly ran his fingers through it. She liked her hair to be played with, especially if it was done gently with only a few light tugs, which seemed to have both a calming effect on her and sometimes would arouse her. She sighed lightly, before stirring in his hold so that her body was pressed more firmly into his, though her eyes wavered to the doorway, in which water was gushing in, from beneath.

"Don't look at it," he commanded her softly, before taking her chin gently and guiding her gaze away from it, and used his hand to stroke the side of her face. "Water is not something you should fear."

Lamia didn't argue with him, or acknowledge an agreement, but instead remained passive. Back then Ryou took her lack of response as an incentive to carry on, so he intricately trailed his fingers along her bust, unbuttoning her dress as he did so. It was a strange thing she wore, though definitely flattering on her, appearing more like an old fashioned white dress-like garment that was worn beneath another, heavier dress, just before the 1920's, with light sleeves hugging the balls of her shoulders, and low square cut that gave an observer full view of her collar bone, and only a slight peak of her cleavage, and seemed to also be made of a stretchy material that bunched up where loose.

He peeled the fabric aside, and attacked the exposed flesh with hungry licks, particularly bullying one of her nipples, while she clenched the sheets into fists at her side. He could feel himself hardening with need, and rubbed up against her thigh, which sent pleasurable shivers through his being. A gasp escaped him, before he growled lowly against her skin, moving over to the other nipple that was been left unattended, while groping the other semi roughly. His vampire instincts were kicking in fast, and he struggled to calm his movements, aware that roughing her up while she was already tense, would be a bad idea.

Lamia responded by slowly stroking his free arm, reaching her way up to lightly run her fingers through his snow white hair. The action, which had probably been the first she'd ever tried on him, fuelled his desire with an intensified fire that spread warmly through his body, halting his violent instincts. For a moment their gazes met, his light brown one filled with lust and surprise, whereas her pitch-black one was hollow and expressionless. He then leaned in quickly and caught hold of her lips with his, something he had never done to her before, though he felt compelled to do it.

She immediately shut her eyes, and after a moment and deep sigh, she began returning the kiss. Their tongues met and began to fight a fierce battle, but Lamia was naturally submissive, allowing him to win, but not without a challenge first, _**which was usually her style**_. The heat they were creating between themselves, suddenly boiled over to a passion unlike any other Ryou had ever experienced with her. She thrust her hips up against his, skilfully hitting his swollen member at an angle, and nibbled his bottom lip, while he tore off her dress.

The boat lurched sideways, causing Ryou to lose his balance and inadvertently rolled them over, so that Lamia dominated him. She suddenly seemed hesitant to continue on with anything, and waited for Ryou to make a move instead, obviously having learnt from past encounters when Bakura took control of the situation and mistreated her, especially when she wasn't submissive. Although he wanted to give her that slight bit of leverage out of curiosity, he didn't want to encourage her to make it a habit, so he once again took control, by taking her by the waist and sliding them both up into a sitting position, with her legs wrapped around his waist.

She once again closed her eyes, seeming to find her loss of sight comforting, as she ran her hands down his chest, feeling his strong muscles through the fabric of his loose fitted shirt, before unbuttoning them. Feeling hot and frustrated, he grinded his member into her, panting heavily into the crook of her shoulder, while his forehead rested against her neck. Once she removed his shirt, she blindly felt her way down his bare, muscled abs and found the buckle of his pants, quickly undoing it so that she could release him.

He groaned when he felt her touch, and bucked his hips upwards so that he could feel it again. Lamia complied by groping his member with careful firmness, and massaged the tip before furthering her exploration, earning a loud gasp from Ryou as pleasure rippled through him. She had just begun to pump him vigorously, when the boat swerved again, sending a mini wave of water tumbling over them. Lamia hissed in shock, but only slowed her pace; her eyes cringed shut as though she was desperately trying to keep them closed, whereas Ryou couldn't possibly shut his, or take them off the incredibly erotic sight before him.

Crystal-like droplets of water slithered off the sides of her hair, illuminating it like a priceless and glittering jewel, as well as the shiny polished look her moon-light skin seemed to have while drenched. He no longer had the patience or the need for foreplay, and decided to have her right then. He brushed away Lamia's hand and pushed her back down onto the soaked sheets, before plunging into her entrance, earning a low growl of content from her as an electric, pleasurable shiver pulsed through her. Her walls tightened around his member, pleasurably suffocating his nerves endings delightfully, and he couldn't help but growl back in approval.

He thrust into her, deep and hard, gaining more and more ecstatic momentum as he plunged forward into Lamia's body, which rocked back and forth, and she bit her lip to stifle her screams. Waves of pleasure, so magically enhanced by their dark power, intertwined with each other's movements, and before long, Ryou could sense the building up to his climax, reach its end. He quickened his thrusts, hoping that speed would help Lamia reach hers as well, but after a few hard ones, he felt his entire being tense in preparation for an explosion, and uncontrollably bit into Lamia's neck. There was a surge of pure, sizzling energy that pulsed through them at the exact same time, and he felt her walls constrict against their will onto him, as an overwhelming and explosive orgasm washed through them both. The boat tossed them once to the side, but this time Ryou held onto her tightly, still holding onto their orgasm, before finally releasing it, less they explode.

She fell onto his side, panting heavily, her eyes still closed tightly, before she lightly fluttered them open and winced. Ryou made a move to pull her closer to him, wanting to hold her in his arms for the first time after having sex, but she inched away from him like he had burned her, and turned to lay on her side, facing the wall and away from him; once again closing herself off.

Ryou frowned at her, but left it without saying or doing anything further than whispering, "Goodnight." He wasn't entirely used to her strange mood swings yet, but had grown to accept them over time, what else could he do?

And yet with hindsight and some time to think, Ryou wondered if he was to blame for her unstable mental state, after all he had ignored and overlooked certain important _factors_ that applied to her before he turned her, and had probably, though unintentionally, made it far worse with his later actions…and not just the sexual ones.

Now, back in the hotel room after who knew how many months, Ryou thought about the vampire girl he created and had somewhat grown a slight attachment to. He resented the twin vampires for her demise quite openly, especially holding a grudge against the youngest and smallest one, the one with a cocky and unpleasant attitude that in some remarkable way had managed to get to the 'voices.' But Tea was in the way…beautiful sweet and innocent Tea, with the sweet scented blood.

He rose up to a sitting position and rested his elbow on his knee, staring out the window that overlooked the city, and scratched the back of his neck, briefly swatting aside his hair to reveal the _mark of the moon_ branded on it.

* * *

**Man, I'm tired! Thanks for reading you guys, I hope you enjoyed it as much as you could. For those of you who are curious, don't worry I'm planning to actually write an entire chapter which will show exactly what happened between Yami and Yugi, to make him hate Yugi so much, in graphic detail. As for next chapter, we'll finally see Razz again, and some other old characters as well as a new character which one of my reviewers has allowed me to use, and special guest stars. **

**Until we see each other again, hugs and kisses, with lots of love! Sav. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Finally! I conquered this Ra awful chapter! And to think, I only had 100 cups of coffee, about a thousand candy bars, a bottle of vodka (Smirnoff – don't worry I shared it with my imaginary fanfiction spirit guide Yugi while 'we' wrote this) and a lot of soda – to get this done. The good news is, I am in fact alive and well…the bad news is that you're all not happy I took this long to update. **

**Okay, so let me start by apologising, because I know that this has been the longest it has taken me to update, but I have unfortunately been going through a very tough time. First of all, I had to go on a three week practical training course and a certain college professor is totally out to get me…frickinglesbianbitch! (Insert smiley face) So yeah, that was one hectic period that just did not go smoothly whatsoever for me, and then to top it all off my relationship with my boyfriend has sadly come to an end, and thus so has my ability to relate to anything about love and romance, which is why I had to take some time to gather myself before I could start writing again…about love. **

**On that note, thanks to all my awesome reviewers who took the time to comment on the last chapter, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you guys all rock, and are such a huge help in helping me find the motivation to continue with Perfect Strangers on the worst of days. That is why you guys are all so extremely important to me. However, I'd also like to thank all my other readers. Especially those of you who I know personally…yeah, you talk to me about my own story all the time and not even realise I'm the writer (sticks a tongue out at you). And so the paranoia begins…And Ilovemanicures, you're still my rock babe! **

**And Cindy, sorry about the lack of history in this chapter, but I promise that I'm planning on writing a special segment in a future chapter that will be historically based, just for you. **

**I'd also like to publicly welcome Sakuruyamuni, thank you so much for reviewing last time. And, one of my private messengers, Axalover11, who I will still not give away a plot secret to, I don't care how cute your puppy dog eyes are…still love you though. **

**And finally I'd like to announce that everyone can now use the review tab, even if you don't have an account. So Amy my dear, you can now finally, publicly complain about been 'eaten' by your second favourite character. (Yeah I used one of my friends…without permission)**

**Also introducing a new Reviewer character by CokaCookieCola, named Shananay. **

**Rating: Nothing too graphic…rate that as you will. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh, but I love the guy that did. **

**AN: To answer Peaches question, Perfect Strangers is kind of like life, you have a basic idea of what is should be in the beginning, but then it grows and develops with several add-ons and plot twists that leads it along a slightly different path…keeps things interesting. **

**And lastly…this is the longest chapter in Fanfiction history! And also the most important one in my opinion.**

**XXX**

**Chapter 21**

(3000 years ago – Ancient Egypt)

His chamber was deathly quiet, save for the strangely comforting, spitting sound that the fire lit torches made, as their flames danced in undisturbed rhythm, creating a warm glow to the exotically decorated room that was lavished with the finest furnishings in all of Egypt, both of foreign and local produce. It was here that the great Pharaoh Akunumkanon escaped to whenever the burdening responsibilities of the throne would allow him to - his retreat from being the living god of his people…the only room that was completely off limits to almost everyone within the palace walls, allowing him the time and peace he so rightfully deserved, when he didn't wish to be social.

In his human days, he was regarded as quite a handsome man, with a rare eye colour that his sons would later inherit as well, like he had inherited them from his beautiful mother. He was also incredibly tall, that back then had towered over and intimidated his much shorter Egyptian subjects, which had been a characteristic of his father, and as such as all Egyptians, sported a dark honey tan that glistened like fine gold beneath the eye of Ra, and despite his firmness and strength, had a rather kind and gentle way about him. His people regarded him with much praise and healthy respect, marvelling at his peaceful ways of ruling his kingdom, and were without any doubt that he was a god in a human body. They loved him…

He slumped down before an altar that had been carved and made entirely of gold and priceless jewels, which he had dedicated to his favourite god, the almighty sun god Ra; the same god which had abandoned him to a terrible fate. The incense he had burnt in his last attempt to gain Ra's attention was too sweet and invasive for his chest to handle, and he gave in to a hysterical coughing fit, which resulted in a fast paced gush of blood to spill from his lips and splutter across the palm of his hand…_the bright ruby essence of the gods' mockery_.

He glared at the blood on his hand, as anger welled up from within him.

Outside the enormous palace walls, there was a great sense of unease amongst his people, all seeming to sense the ominous oncoming of something terrible heading their way, though none could pin-point on exactly what it was, as their pharaoh had yet to issue out a public statement to them on anything that warranted their concern. It felt as if the dry air of their kingdom was heavy and suffocating, and some were even unfortunate enough to suffer an unusual prickling sensation at the back of their necks. According to the reports he received, the people were edgy and skittish, which remarkably seemed to limit the crime rate in his kingdom, as his guards often returned without incident from the market places.

Ironically, this did not comfort the pharaoh, and in fact did the complete opposite. It was the eye before the storm, and everyone seemed to know it.

A war was coming.

The solid doors of his chamber gently opened and closed behind a cloaked figure that cautiously strolled in, and waited patiently for the pharaoh to acknowledge his presence, while respectfully bowed on his left knee, head down.

"Rise Aknadin, I have no need for formalities here," Akunumkanon said tiredly, his tone on the verge of annoyance, but pain was definitely prominent within his voice.

"Forgive my intrusion, my Pharaoh, but the time is nearing and I thought you would best be, _prepared_," his younger brother reported calmly, in a voice that was too coldly confident to settle the royal's nerves.

He wiped the corner of his mouth, and used a rag beside the altar, to wipe the blood from his hand, as he turned to regard Aknadin with a sombre gaze. "Is that so?" he asked softly in the voice of a broken man that had lost all the he held dear…well _almost everything_.

Aknadin's gaze softened as he regarded his older brother's slumped shoulders, as well as the blood he had been trying to remove from his hand, and sighed. "Pharaoh…Brother, this is the only way…"

Akunumkanon growled stiffly under his breath and glared at Aknadin's calmness for a minute, before shutting his eyes and sighed tiredly. Did the man feel nothing for what they were about to perform and sacrifice?

"The sacrifice is great…but the rewards we shall reap from it; shall be even greater," he promised with quiet enthusiasm.

The Egyptian monarch felt a warning chill run up his spine, but chose to ignore it as he walked over to the other side of the room where he took a seat on the foot of his bed, staring at the floor in defeat. "How can we be completely sure of this?"

"Tis faith brother-" Aknadin tried.

"Twas faith that we had in the Egyptian gods too, but that did not stop them from spitting us in the eye. This is darkness that we are now choosing to relay our faiths on!" he growled unhappily as he massaged his temples.

"Forgive my brash words, brother, but what have the gods of light offered you and I for _our_ undivided loyalty?" Aknadin argued in a quiet, almost unspoken voice.

"Those are brash words!" he growled through clenched teeth. "Do not forget, brother, that it has been the fortune of the gods that we were born to live in the luxury of the palace, with power granted at our very finger tips, _with_ wives and women that contain the unworldly beauty, which the leaders of all the other nations of the world envy, and…" His voice hitched in his throat as his final thought on the matter crossed his mind.

"I know I speak out of term brother, but those same gods, despite your dedication to them, are taking back the blessings they bestowed upon us. We have both lost our wives to the valley of death, and very soon the rebellion that Isis predicted will take Egypt from us, and place a new pharaoh on the throne," Aknadin once again reminded his brother, even though they had talked about all of this before.

"But what of our-" Akunumkanon began, but felt a slight quiver of the ground beneath him as the beginning of their dark age was drawing near.

"As I said brother on many occasion, the sacrifice will be great…but 'tis the only way," came Aknadin's cool response.

The pharaoh sighed and shook his head as he rose from the bed, and squared his shoulders. "Then let's begin before it is too late."

Aknadin bowed his head in silent acknowledgement, before pulling a sharp and uniquely styled dagger from his cloak, and handed it gingerly to his older brother. "Since you are Pharaoh, 'tis your honour to lead us along this path…"

Akunumkanon wondered about that for a moment, before carefully taking the weapon from his brother, and twirled it around in his grip, while admiring its alien beauty. The sacrifice would be great, but the rewards promised to them, was to be even greater...so he decided he would lead them into darkness.

* * *

(Three years ago – before Yugi's transformation)

There was a lot Tea didn't know about Yami, that much was very clear, since Yami himself hardly knew the truth about his true nature and capabilities…but Yugi did. Golden boy, her knight in shining armour, Mr. Righteousness…had a very dark and _very _dangerous streak within him. One might have described his older twin more as passive aggressive, where he used words more than physical force to solve most conflicts, and used logical thinking that wasn't always crutched or blinded by anger…but there were times, rare times of course, where he'd black out _and strike back_.

This was Yami's scariest form, and one that had earned him a great amount of respect from their kind; this was him in his vampire form, where hardly any humanity burned within his soul, and although Yugi had _known_ he'd come face to face with this particular version of his brother at some point in his life, he had not been prepared enough for it…

It was a few months before their fateful sixteenth birthday, just a few minutes short of dawn when most vampires made their way back to their sleeping quarters, when Yugi stumbled into the dining hall seeming clumsy and out-of-it, as though he'd spent the evening stoning it up in some dark and dingy corner of the tomb, before grabbing onto the doorframe beside him and leaned up against it for support. At first Yami was relieved to see him, as he always was when Yugi eventually showed up, having grown somewhat used to his brother's occasional disappearing acts, which had become more and more frequent with time, but the moment he took in Yugi's ragged appearance and bloodshot eyes, his over-protective brother's instincts went into overdrive.

Yami never knew where Yugi disappeared off to, or what he did when he was there, yet alone why he felt the need to go off by himself in the first place, but the moment he sensed something had happened to Yugi, which had to have been the only logical conclusion at play here, he instantly regretted ever allowing Yugi out of his sight.

He shoved his weight back against the chair he was seated in, and jumped out of it while it sailed across the room and smashed against the wall, before stalking over to where Yugi stood with a deeply concerned expression as he fully observed his younger twin. "What happened?" he asked sternly, his tone seeming more fatherly than brotherly. Yugi briefly glanced away to avoid his older twin's eyes, which immediately alarmed him. "Yugi, tell me what happened!"

Now that Yami had been able to get a good look at Yugi, he noticed that Yugi seemed paler than normal, with a light coat of sweat on the surface on his skin that shone in the torches dim firelight. "N-nothing…" Yugi stammered as he seemed to blink his eyes into focus and immediately shook his head. "I uh, just need something to eat."

He made a move to walk forward, but Yami reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder before gently pushing him back against the wall. "Do you take me for an idiot?" he hissed, before glaring into his twin's eyes, "You cannot lie to me Yugi, you know that."

Yugi grinned at Yami, whose expression immediately softened, before dramatically glancing around them as though to make sure they were alone, and leaned in to whisper, "I'd tell you Yami, but trust me, you really wouldn't want to know."

Yami sighed with dread, before narrowing his eyes into a mid wince, and then fully closed them to massage his temples. "Oh Ra of Egypt, Yugi, what the hell did you do this time?" His brother was right; he actually didn't want to know what he had been up to.

Yugi winked sinisterly, before making his way over to the serving table that displayed several dishes of normal human food, especially prepared for them, and picked up an apple. "Hmm…so many options," he commented as his eyes scanned the table, picking out the roasted lamb in the centre of the table, as well a moulded strawberry dessert and several colourful tartlets, amongst other things that formed typical traditional meals.

"Are you okay though?" Yami asked still concerned about his brother's unhealthy appearance, hardly interested in the food, as his body betrayed his mind into begging his attention onto something that contained more _iron_ and flowed more _smoothly_ down his throat, something that he desperately craved for but refused to indulge in. "At least tell me that."

Yugi's eyes lit up with innocent human warmth, before giving Yami a brotherly smile, "Of course I'm okay brother, why wouldn't I be?"

It was a valid question, but Yami's intuition begged him to pay more attention to what was not been said. He always knew when there was something wrong, it was how he had always managed to get to Yugi when he was in danger, or figure out what may have been bothering him when he couldn't read his mind. For the last couple of months, he had had that feeling, when Yugi casually walked off on his own and didn't return for most of the night, always seeming flushed and skittish when he returned. Trying to confront Yugi about it though, was a skill that Yami had wondered if he would ever acquire before he turned sixty.

They usually told each other everything, but sometimes, which Yami grudgingly had come to accept and acknowledge, they needed some space with their private doings.

After all, Yami wasn't exactly on the eager side of telling Yugi that he had spent most of their quiet evenings in their room with one of the slave girls he had grown somewhat attached to. Despite their generally open relationship with each other, girls were strangely not something they spoke about, since it always seemed to somehow lead to the awkward topic of sex, which they shared very different opinions on back then, and Yugi didn't have much of a filter on his thoughts, and could get quite distasteful after a while. This girl however, was almost like a special kind of secret, a small one if anything, and Yami liked to keep it that way. It wasn't like he poured his entire heart out to her or told her anything that he hadn't already told Yugi; he just liked her being in her company and hearing her voice.

Her name had then been Jayne, a pretty American girl, whom the vampires had stolen off a black market, sex trade shipment that had landed in Egypt a week before, and for some strange reason kept her completely separated from the rest of the slaves and forbid any of the vampires to even touch her. Yami himself, hadn't been _completely _allowed near her, but as long as he didn't leave marks on her body and only risked seeing her when the vampires were all out hunting or taking slaves to their private quarters, there was no problem. At first she had been too terrified to do anything but stare at the ground and quiver in his presence, which he found totally understandable, given that she had endured a terrifying ordeal, which just seemed to worsen as time progressed.

Initially, his attraction to her had been mostly hormone based, since her chest sported a pair of nicely sized, plump breasts, which was well proportioned with her slim frame that was almost frail looking, and her long hair ran smoothly over her shoulders in a shade of platinum blonde which contrasted her dark honey tan beautifully. Her hazel eyes were the last thing he found physically attractive, as they sometimes switched colour shades with gold or emerald, and were fun to watch from time to time, as he could clearly identify every emotion that went through them. She was a shy, timid girl, who was apparently home schooled her whole sheltered life, and was already a college student at the age of fifteen. That made her smart, something among many others that they shared in common. He taught her how to speak Egyptian, and in return she taught him how to speak the basics of the Russian language.

He had been her first kiss, and the only thing she had ever had close to a boyfriend, but that was as far as things went between them.

It never occurred to him that by not sharing this with Yugi, it would drive a wedge between them, later in life.

"You just don't seem yourself lately," Yami responded quietly, voicing some of his concerns which had been bothering him lately.

"I could say the same about you," Yugi responded, sounding more, sure of himself, than what Yami had.

"I've been acting differently?" Yami asked in surprise.

Yugi nodded as he stuffed his plate with sweet, unhealthy food. "Yeah, you seem more relaxed."

Yami felt a slight burn on his cheeks, but shook it away immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yugi raised a brow at his brother's odd behaviour, before temporarily getting distracted by a 'terrifying' fact, "-The hell? Where's the cake?"

Yami rolled his eyes. Ra, Yugi had the attention span of a toddler sometimes. "Where are your vegetables? All I see on your plate is candy-"

"No ways man there can't just not be cake…that's impossible! I mean am I not seeing it, or is it seriously not there?" Yugi sounded panicked, as his gaze darted around the table top, looking for his beloved chocolate cake that he would never find set on the table again, as the baker had an unfortunate demise that evening.

Yami allowed his eyelids to drop halfway down in a bored-like, pitying narrowed gaze. There was no hope for him. "So…I uh, seem more relaxed?" he started eventually, wondering if that was the symptom of spending a lot of time with a girl, especially one that was as easy to spend it with as Jayne was.

However, before their conversation could go any further, there was a loud bang as the dining chamber's heavy wooden door, which only a vampire could move easily, swung open and hit the side of the wall with enough force, to make it vibrate. Five enormous vampires stormed into the room, two of them dragging a pair of young women with them while they struggled against their capturers. Yami frowned disapprovingly at them, whereas Yugi paused at what he was doing to watch, feeling sick to his stomach.

The vampires noticed the two young royals, and grinned at them before giving in to low, dark chuckles. The two vampires that each had a girl captive, dragged their squirming bodies over to the large, solid table, and roughly flung them on to the surface of it, one landing on her back right in front of Yami. He reflexively reached out his arm so that the back of her head didn't collide with the table, which only earned an even louder chuckle from the vampires. The oldest, and biggest of the vampires, called Asim, who mocked the very meaning of his Egyptian name which meant 'protector,' walked forward and regarded Yami with cruel amusement. "Good evening Prince Atem, I saw you were dining on that pitiful human garbage before we arrived, perhaps his majesty would care to share a hearty meal with us?"

"Did you really show such brutality towards women when you still breathed?" Yami asked angrily, as he heard the girls whimpering and crying in the background, able to smell and sense their terror and torment.

Asim only smiled, though his eyes remained cruel and cold, before he reached down and stroked the woman inappropriately, who jolted at his touch as though he had burned her. "The only thing a woman is good for, your Highness, is to satisfy the needs of men. And she will definitely satisfy my needs, before I drain her-"

A glass bowl shattering over Asim's head briefly stopped the vampire from speaking, as lettuce and tomato dribbled down his face and over his shoulders. "Yeah Asim," Yugi retorted sounding somewhat irritated, "And the only thing you're good for is reminding mothers why they should smother their sons in their sleep, you fat egotistical bastard."

Yami was in no mood to rectify Yugi on the use of curse words while in the presence of women, as it seemed fitting at that moment. He watched intensely as Asim calmly – _a little too calmly_ – brushed off the salad's contents and shattered glass from his tall and butch muscular form, and turned to regard Yugi's much shorter and slimmer built one. Yugi had a brief glimpse of the murderous glare in his eyes, before Asim threw a solid punch in his direction, smashing him squarely in the jaw and sent him flying across the room.

No body ever made a fool out of him, even the princes, especially in front of his prey. Asim did not like to look weak, or stupid in front of anybody, and the only rule of the tomb was that they were forbidden to kill the princes, harming them severely however, if they brought it on themselves was somewhat condoned by the king, therefore Asim had no hindering thought about what he was going to do to Yugi.

However, before he could take so much as a step near Yugi, Yami appeared in front of him, his scarlet eyes angry and fangs lightly visible at the corners of his mouth. "Take one more step towards him, and I'll take you out myself," Yami threatened darkly, his fists clenched at his sides, and body tensed in preparation to fight.

Asim paused for a moment, as he sensed the aggression that rolled off Yami in dark waves. He'd heard that Yami wasn't really physically strong, but his ability to read his opponents minds made him a decent enough fighter to hold his own very well, and most often managed to fend off his attackers, but never managed to properly beat them. It was a sad state to be in, especially if you were a royal and had to earn the respect of your father's subjects. Asim smirked at the young, inexperienced and inferior half breed before him, before growling out a loud obnoxious laugh. His threat was that of a mouse who would challenge a tiger.

Yugi rolled onto his stomach before pushing himself up, and glanced over to his brother who was visibly tense, and gasped quietly as he saw the darkening of his aura. It was happening!

Without much warning, Asim threw a skilled punch at Yami, who easily dodged it and moved to the side, where he threw a punch of his own to the side of Asim's face. From then on, things became quite a blur for the young teenagers, as Yugi quickly dove in and defended Yami from the side, as another large vampire decided to jump in and join the mix. There was a lot of commotion and noise, with furniture and cutlery flung all over the room, as well as the occasionally yelps of pain and roars of frustration that awoke some vampires from their sleep, Seto included.

Yami wasn't holding up his best, due to a lack of blood in his system after having put off drinking it for almost two months, and Yugi was more focussed on keeping the fight away from the girls, who were cowered in the corner of the room, than on his own well being. Before long, Yugi lost his gripping and fell to the mercy of one of the vampires, who by then lacked thought behind his actions and went in for the kill.

The sound of flesh ripping startled Yami out of his battle mode haze, as he caught sight of Yugi on his knees with a pained expression on his face, his hand applied to his neck, as blood seeped through his fingers…that was all it took for the eldest of the twins to _snap_. What took place next was the starting point, of what would be an interesting twist in the twin's lives. _Yami lost control_.

His eyes were no longer their deep crimson colour, but almost turned orange as they brightened with anger. Asim, who hand been tackling him at the time, was thrown across the room, as though he had weighed next to nothing, and within seconds Yami was on the vampire who had dared to harm his younger brother, and violently ripped its arm right out of its socket while tugging it backwards as he pulled him away from Yugi, who was still badly injured and bleeding heavily. The vampire shrieked in pain, and tried to shove Yami off him, but Yami retaliated and pulled his arm further back, earning a loud snap that echoed through every corner of the room, before the sound of ripping flesh and liquid splattering, broke through everyone's haze, bringing them back into focus.

The vampire howled in agony, as he used his free arm to clutch at his shoulder, trying to feel around for his arm which was no longer attached to his body. Yami flung the useless limb aside and immediately spun around to grab another vampire by the throat as he had tried to take the young prince by surprise, and kneed him in the gut.

Yugi watched with eyes as wide as saucers as Yami violently began tearing the second vampire apart in an almost cruel way, before turning his attention onto the other two vampires who had overstepped what Yami must have considered, in his battle-haze, _his comfort zone_. Blood splattered and pooled around them, and Yugi's breath hitched when he caught its delicious scent, which he had painfully hungered for, for so long. He fought to keep control of his instincts, especially when he knew how easily they could slip while his body fought to heal the fatal rip across his throat, and tried to get his mind to focus on something else, such as getting back into the fight.

A loud crash startled his attention to the vampires' group's fearsome leader, as Asim rushed at Yami with a loud roar of rage. Yami turned and hissed menacingly at Asim, before grabbing the fist that the man had aimed at him, and swinging him into the wall, causing it to crack.

Meanwhile, the one-armed vampire, who was still bleeding quite badly as his body was slow at healing, began to make his way over to the screaming girls, no doubt planning to speed up his recovery on their life's essence. Yugi jumped up and staggered over, while still keeping pressure on his neck, and hurried over to stand in the vampire's way, glaring at him.

The vampire hissed in annoyance and made a swipe at Yugi, who clumsily dodged the attack and kicked the vampire's legs out from beneath him, before backing up until he stood directly in front of the girls, with his back faced to them, shielding them from any potential danger…including his rabid brother.

It had become too hard to properly concentrate, with the delicious aroma of blood surrounding them, which was enough to cause their instincts to spike out of control, but Yugi was determined to protect the humans at all costs. However, before the one armed vampire and Yugi could go head to head, a pair of hands snaked their way around the sides of his head from behind him, and twisted it right around. There was a loud unnatural shriek that squirted out the vampire's mouth, before the sound of fleshy ripping, which forced everyone's attention to the centre of the room, where Yami held the vampire's head in his hands before throwing it across the room, and turned on Asim, who immediately backed away, _but Yami wasn't going to let him get away_…

(5 frightening minutes later)

The battle was declared over, when the five mutilated corpses of the vampires were spread in several _chunky_ pieces, across the room, and Yami, drained of energy, collapsed chest forward against the wall with his hands pushed up at his sides, to hold his body up, while breathing heavily. His eyes were slowly dimming down to their normal scarlet shade, as he became aware of the bruising and aching of his muscles once his body began to relax, which brought him back into the world of reality from which he had temporarily escaped.

He was confused for a moment, unable to account for exactly why he was covered in someone else's blood, or why he felt as though he had been run over by a truck, but hazy memories of his violent encounter with the five vampires soon returned to him. It was also then that he remembered Yugi's fatal injury. He took in a deep, steadying breath, and hesitantly glanced away from the wall to regard his younger twin, wary because he knew that he'd see blood, which he was starting to crave.

"Yu-Yugi..?" his gaze immediately met with Yugi's wide and wary ones, as he sat, leant up against a pillar, somewhat a few feet away from him, with one knee arched close to his chest and still applying pressure to his neck, as the wound seemed to have difficulty in healing.

"Yeah?" Yugi muttered weakly, though he was able to manage a small smile.

"You…alright?" Yami inquired, in between breaths.

"I've been better…think I got off on just a scratch though," he chuckled, gulping slightly as a small ripple of pain exploded through his body.

Yami risked a glance around the room, and tried to piece together what had happened, and why he could hardly remember any of it. "Wh-what the hell happened?"

Yugi bit his lip slightly in worry, as his fears about Yami's state of mind were confirmed…_he had blacked out_. It was best however, that Yami didn't learn of this, until the time was right.

"Well…" he began weakly, "I just wanted a piece of cake…_and then all hell broke loose_."

* * *

(Present Day – with Yugi)

Yugi pulled into the makeshift driveway in front of Yami's apartment building and quickly hopped out of it, before dashing at vampires speed up the long stairwell and quickly shoved his way through the apartment's front door. He needed to make this quick, before he really did arrive late on his date with Razz (who would probably kill him), and knowing Lamia, he needed at least a half an hour beforehand to make it all happen. "Lamia?" he called as he hurried up the hallway and turned the corner that lead to the small living room.

"Kitchen!" Lamia called back.

Yugi quickly walked over to the kitchen, where he found Lamia crouched down on her hinges, scooping chunks of cat food into several little dishes, which were surrounded by cats of all shapes and sizes. "What the hell?" he gasped out of surprise.

Lamia looked up at him, and glared slightly at the use of the word 'hell' but let it go with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you snacking on Yami's cats?" Yugi inquired curiously, as he leant up against the door frame, his hands in his jacket's pockets, taking a brief moment to lightly blow a blonde bang out of his eyes.

Lamia made a slight growling sound in her throat, before glaring up at him. "I'm a man-eater, _not a psycho_, I'm just feeding them. It gets a little lonely up here, all by myself."

Not a psycho? Yeah right!

"_Fascinating_…Yami asked me, to ask you, for a favour," Yugi muttered, as Lamia gracefully stood up in one flawless motion, allowing her long white hair to swish beautifully to her sides.

"For you or for Yami?" she asked without looking at him, as she threw the empty cans into the trashcan that was tucked beside the end counter, out of sight.

"Well let's see," Yugi said, as he sarcastically mocked a thoughtful pose, "Uh _Yami_, asked _me_, to ask _you_, for a-"

"Well if Yami's the one who asked, then sure, what does he need?" Lamia answered softly.

Yugi blinked, before taking in a deep breath. _Of course_ she would automatically jump to do anything for Yami if he asked her to, so why was he even surprised by it? "He's girlfriend is staying with him, and she needs her stuff, which he won't allow me to get myself, _for some unknown reason_, so he wants you to get it for her."

"That's understandable," she commented while nodding her head. "I can do that, no problem."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at the 'understandable' part, wondering what kind of logic that both Yami and Lamia found in all this that he didn't, but decided that debating it just wasn't worth it in the long run. "Much appreciated, will you meet up with me later then?"

Lamia looked up at him with a raised, questioning eyebrow, "Why can't we just go now and get it over with?"

"I have a date, at eight," he reminded her coldly, as he shoved his body off the doorframe. "Do you want me to pick you up when I'm done, or what?"

Lamia's expression darkened for a minute, and there seemed to be something on the tip of her tongue, but she lightly shut her eyes and turned away from him, keeping her true thoughts silent. "And if your date lasts _longer_ than you planned?" she inquired softly in a neutral tone.

Yugi smirked, since he was sincerely hoping it would, "I'll call you."

Lamia's brows lowered slightly; before she bit the inner flesh of her lip and nodded in acknowledgement of everything she had been told. "I…I'll meet you there…it's that building where we…"

"Met for the first time? Yeah," Yugi responded, before stepping out into the hallway, ready to leave.

Lamia grinned without humour, "Yeah…where we first met…_right_."

"See ya," Yugi said as he took his leave from her, and rushed out of the apartment in a barely visible black mass, somewhat glad that for once, things had sort of run smoothly for him, but Lamia found herself clenching onto the counter top a little too tightly, until eventually she felt her fingers slide through the crappy, cheap wood, sending wood splinters flying around her hand and blood spill from the lip she was biting.

* * *

(Three years ago)

It was a bittersweet ending to the chapter of his human life Yugi figured, as he sat with his back pressed up firmly against the tomb's outer wall, staring up at the clear blue sky with half lidded eyes, and winced slightly when his body rippled with inner pain. The sun, which despite its harshness towards his kind, had shown him and his brother much more mercy in its grand and beautiful way, so it was only fitting that he would spend the last few minutes of his human life, basking in its _fatherly_ warmth, while contemplating and regretting his life.

Sixteen today…

He found himself smiling weakly at the thought, as it was like a sick joke in a way. Most sixteen year olds were supposed to be pure and innocent on the day of their birthday. Isn't that why they were always teased 'sweet sixteen and never been kissed' before they blew out the candles on their birthday cakes? And here Yugi was…having already done it all, _except_, fall head over heels in love…and now he realised he never would. Life was over for him.

Another sharp ache in his chest had him gasping and clawing fistfuls of sand into his hands, as an irony taste hit his taste buds, and he struggled to steady his breathing again, while his heart rapidly thudded against his ribcage. Yami would come up at any minute to check on him, and scold him about his latest prank, and Yugi knew he needed to shape up and put on a brave face quickly, to play his role on the chessboard efficiently.

_It was the only way_.

* * *

(Present Day – First Date)

The redbird hotel wasn't anything like Yugi had expected it to be, as he followed the instructions carefully on Yami's Ferrari's GPS, and came to a stop in front of a rather tall building with an old, Gothic charm to it, temporarily wondering if he had the right address, before the GPS's annoying futuristic, computer sounding voice announced, 'You have arrived.'

It had to have been one of the oldest buildings in Domino City, probably one of the first ones to be built, which was not at all like the flashy modern hotels like the 'Hilton,' he had envisioned beforehand. He climbed out the car slowly, with his gaze trailing upwards to pass over all six floors until he reached the roof, in which he could clearly see the moon brightly hanging over, in a starless night sky.

His nerves were a little shaky, and he still felt strangely hyper with each step towards the entrance, briefly looking over his appearance using his mind's eye, while drawing up a mental checklist that he was quickly filling out. In his hand he held a white rose, which the consultant had fragranced with an expensive, delicious smelling perfume, before he left the store, and he hoped and prayed to Ra that it was the right colour for the occasion. He was vaguely aware that each different coloured rose, had a special meaning of sorts, such as red meant love, what white meant…he had no idea, but it was pretty, it didn't mean love, and it now smelt really good. That was good enough for him.

He hurried up the stone steps and was immediately greeted by the doorman, who with a wide, bright smile, opened the door for him and tipped his red hat in greeting, "Evening sir."

"Uh…hey," Yugi responded with a small nod as he regarded the middle aged man who was dressed in a smart, red suit with gold tufts at the shoulders, and polished brass buttons. "Thanks," he said politely as he made his way into the reception area, which was decorated in a way that seemed both old style and modern.

Velvety Victorian Love seats, with rich red fabric and dark wooden framings, made up the waiting area around an unused and ornamental fireplace, which was lined with wax candles, to give the humans light, thanks to the strange and sudden power outage that had left the entire town in darkness. On the far side of the room however, stood a massive sized reception desk, made from solid and heavy looking wood, and behind it sat a cute looking female who immediately looked up upon his entrance.

Her smile was bright and professional, which lit up her whole face as she regarded him, while he made his way over to her, flashing her, an equally charming smile. "Good evening sir, are you checking in with us this evening?" she asked him politely, the smile never leaving her lips. Yugi was surprised to find that the computer in front of her was online and working, obviously powered by a generator.

"No," he answered in a smooth voice, "I'm here for-"

"I'm surprised you actually showed," a voice came from behind him, as a figure slowly got up from one of the Victorian seats which had been blocked from his line of vision, "And on time too."

Yugi grinned as he turned to face Razz, who he almost had to do a double take on as she looked absolutely _amazing_ in the dim glow of candle light. His mouth suddenly felt dry, as his eyes took in the sight of her figure hugging black dress that held all her curves in place, and ended just above her knees, made of what looked like expensive silk. Her hair also looked so soft and glossy that Yugi was tempted to run his fingers through it, and her eyes seemed to change to a slight amber colour, in the dim light.

_She was beautiful_.

She straightened her posture while keeping her eyes on him, before bowing slightly in greeting with her arms folded over her lap area, hands loosely held together, and then straightened up again after a few, slow seconds. "I'm full of surprises," he managed to say without breaking his calm and collected façade, "And, I'm reliable." He walked over to her, almost stumbling on one shaky step brought on by his nerves, but managed to make his way over to her without incident and held up the rose for her to take. "For you…"

Razz glanced at the rose with a raised eyebrow and seemed almost wary of it, before she slowly took it from him with a questioning look. "Uh…thanks."

Yugi grinned and swiftly gestured to the next room, which he assumed and somewhat hoped that the restaurant was located in. "Shall we?"

Razz continued to observe him with a critical gaze, before nodding and moved forward to lead the way. Yugi made sure to open the door for her, and allowed her to walk through it first, trying to remember everything Yami had taught him in the past about 'manners' as having them, had always seemed to work in his older twin's favour. However, he was momentarily taken aback by the grandness of the enormous room, as it glowed beneath the warming light of hundreds of wax candles, all beautifully placed upon the tables and showpieces of the dining hall. It was also, far from empty as several couples filled the available seats, their voices hushed in whispers, while a pianist played softly in the background, which created quite a romantic setting.

A waiter appeared before them immediately, dressed in yet another red suit, and grandly gestured them to their seats, which was located in the middle of the floor. Yugi first pulled out a seat for Razz, before offering her an inviting smirk as he gestured for her to sit in it, but she stubbornly ignored him and took the other seat instead. Yugi rolled his eyes as she took her seat, and imitated her movements by taking his seat as well, soon meeting her eyes in what appeared to be an 'almost' stare down, while the waiter greeted them and handed them their menus.

"I shall return when you're ready to order," he said, before slowly walking off, leaving him and Razz to deal with each other, alone.

Yugi's grin widened at her scowling expression, "You look-"

"Let me guess," Razz interrupted with a growl, "Absolutely beautiful, can't take your eyes off me, bullshit?"

Yugi chuckled lightly, unable to hide his grin, "Wow, see that? Our connection is so deep you can even read my mind."

Razz rolled her eyes and plucked up her menu in what looked like a death hold, "Let's just get this over with."

Yugi glanced down at the brown leathered covered menu and slowly picked it up before flipping it open and raising his gaze to meet hers, which was oddly studying him. "Just so you know, I really do think you look beautiful tonight, because for one second, I can actually picture you with a smile on your face - in that dress."

Her angry façade faltered for a second, before the walls went right back up around her. "Thanks…you look, I suppose _decent,_ too."

Well…it was a start.

"Can we eat dessert first?" Yugi muttered, as he glanced over all the suggestions of the menu, finding nothing that his body would quite agree on.

Razz sighed in annoyance before simply answering, "No."

"Okay…" Yugi started, before glancing up and down between his menu and the stunning girl in front of him. "So…how has your day been?"

"Interesting…" Razz began, before making a small effort to be polite towards him. "How has yours been?"

Yugi thought for a moment before deciding to give her a simple answer, "Different."

Razz nodded without looking at him as she read her menu.

"The Redbird's a nice place," Yugi began, trying to get some conversation going on between them. "I didn't expect it to be all…_old_."

"I'm guessing you prefer modern architecture?" Razz asked nonchalantly, still without meeting his gaze.

"Not exactly, I like it, but olds good…_feels homey_," Yugi responded with a small ironic smile.

Razz briefly lifted her gaze to his with a small amount of surprise in her eyes, as well as curiosity, before she lowered them back down to her menu. "It has an interesting history too," she began, before turning a page. "The hotel, as well as the building on its east side, used to be one building, which made up the first psychiatric hospital in Domino City until it burnt down in the late 1800's. It was then separated and made into an inn, though the correct term for it would have been a brothel."

She was testing him this time, to see what comment he'd make on the brothel part, but Yugi decided to show some class in this discussion. "What happened to the patients?"

"Apparently most of them burnt to death in the fire. They claim that this place is apparently haunted," she said, without much feeling behind her words.

"Do you think it is?" Yugi asked curiously.

Razz gave him a look, before shrugging her shoulders. "I think it makes a good story for tourists."

"What, you don't believe it?" Yugi inquired.

"I don't believe in ghosts," she stated simply, before seeming to finally decide what she wanted to order. "It's all make-believe crap, to scare children. If you're going to start believing in something as ridiculous as spirits, then you're opening the door to believing in all sorts of other creepy crawlies. Next you'll be asking me if I believe in werewolves or _vampires_."

"Uh…" Yugi's jaw twitched slightly, before he stiffly nodded his head, "Yeah that's a valid point." _She so had a lot to learn_…

"What about you Yugi?" Razz said in an extremely challenging tone as she rested further back against her chair, giving him a devious smirk, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Yugi thought for a minute on how he should respond, before breaking eye contact to read his menu. "I do actually."

Razz giggled lightly under her breath, before asking, "And what about vampires? Do you believe in those too?"

Once again Yugi felt the side of his jaw twitch, "Yeah those too…_I'm related to several of them_." He looked up and gave Razz an amused grin, who against all odd returned it, before rolling her eyes, taking it all as a joke.

"Have you decided what you want to order yet?" Razz asked him.

"Uh…nope, what do you recommend for a guy that generally drinks blood?" Yugi responded.

Razz once again shook her head, believing that he was just trying to be funny. "That he needs some serious help and that there are places where he can get it."

Now that wasn't very nice. "Well then I should be just fine here shouldn't I? Considering we're dining in Domino's former mental institution," Yugi retorted before giving her a smug wink.

Razz grinned lightly and shook her head as she gave his menu a thoughtful glance. "What kinds of food do you generally like?"

Yugi shrugged, "No idea, usually sweet things…" Once Yugi caught the disapproving look Razz gave him, he said the first thing that came to his mind, "Chicken." And as an after thought quickly added, "And simple dishes, nothing too extravagant," even as a human, Yugi had issues with fancy food as it simply didn't come across as appetizing to him, but as a vampire, he had to be especially wary of such foods, as his body was highly likely to disagree with them.

"Hmm," Razz hummed quietly as her eyes scanned the book. "Try the chicken chorizo."

Yugi had never seen or heard of this dish before, so he just went along with it, placing his trust with her decision completely, and nodded his head, "Sounds good to me."

The waiter suddenly appeared at their sides again as though on cue, and gave them a friendly smile, seeming to focus his attention mainly on Razz, which didn't go unnoticed by her vampire date. "Greetings yet again, are you ready to give me your selection?" Yugi glanced the waiter up and down with a critical eye, as he took in the guy's average height, wavy brown hair that seemed to have lighter streaks running through the strands, light blue eyes and a very light tan. He was about their age and probably considered attractive to the opposite sex…not exactly the kind of guy he needed to have hanging around them while on their date.

"For starters, I think I'll just have the shrimp," Razz glanced up at their waiter, seeming to notice something about the way he was looking at her, and frowned slightly before looking over at Yugi expectantly.

"Oh, right…um, yeah I'll have that too…the shrimp thing," he added, while he tried to remember what shrimp was, having never had it before in his entire existence. They were those weird, worm-fish things right?

"And for the main course, I'll just have my usual, and if I could please get an apple cider instead this time, with it," Razz ordered, concluding her side of the order, while gently handing the leather bound booklet back to him, with a small 'familiar' smile…and it suddenly occurred to Yugi that Razz must have been served by _him_ quite a lot.

"Of course, no problem," the waiter all too happily insisted, while taking the book from her, and turned to face Yugi with a completely different vibe. "And you sir?"

The nerve of this _human_…

Yugi grinned somewhat menacingly at him, checking off all the ways in which the guy could simply just 'vanish' off the face of the Earth, before responding. "I'll have the chicken chorizo, thanks."

The waiter nodded his head in acknowledgement as he picked up the menu from the table, "And to drink?"

Your blood will be just fine jackass! "Water will do; thanks."

With that, he left them alone once again, in which Yugi took no time in taking advantage of. "He certainly likes you."

Razz rolled her eyes, "Oh please."

"No, seriously, I was beginning to feel like a third wheel here with the intensity between you two," Yugi insisted.

Razz shot him a look. "I believe you are required to take me out on at least five dates before you're entitled to jealously."

Yugi's grin widened, "That was what I was hoping for-"

"It's not going to happen," she quickly cut him off, practically slamming the door on any further ideas on the possibility of a second date in the future.

Yugi sighed dramatically in defeat. "All my hopes and dreams are shattered, how will I go on with my life now?"

"Send me a postcard when you figure it out," Razz retorted dryly.

"You know Razz…" Yugi began with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You'd almost swear you didn't actually like me."

Razz shot him a look, which Yugi would only later be able to identify as the '_Razz look_,' which was something that he suspected most human men would be terrified of, but he found it instead to be quite a turn-on. "Believe me…_I don't_."

"Most people don't, until they get to know me…then it's generally not a matter of not liking me, it's generally a matter of loathing me to a point in which a cold chill runs up my spine whenever I cross their minds," Yugi stated with an amused grin.

"I think I've already passed that point," Razz responded, though there was a smile fighting through the tight line of her lips.

"Nope!" Yugi immediately corrected her, "You've already decided that you don't like me, you can't use 'loathe' yet until our date is over."

Razz rolled her eyes. "Fine, then let me get to know you."

Success! She _wanted_ to get to know him now.

"Don't mind if I do. Perhaps an introduction is in order first?" Yugi suggested through a charming smile.

"By all means," Razz responded sarcastically.

"I am Yugi…" he paused for a moment as he mentally cringed at the last name he was about to introduce himself with, "El-Hashem."

Razz shot him a confused look, "Yugi El-Hashem?"

Yugi nodded, "Yeah, let's just leave it at that in its shorter and more, _pronounceable_ version."

She observed him further with a curious gaze, before finally caving in to her curiosity, "Where are you from?"

Yugi smiled softly, "Isn't it obvious? Egypt."

Razz's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, "_You_ are seriously from Egypt?"

"Born and raised," Yugi confirmed with a small nod, before relaxing back into his chair, as he watched Razz momentarily let her guard down.

"I just…" she began, still seeming extremely surprised by what he had told her. "Well I mean…I thought…_your name's Yugi_."

Yugi grinned and nodded his head in understanding, "My mom was from Japan…and my father's Egyptian."

Razz smiled a little, "Do you lean more towards your mother's side then? I mean your features are very…"

"Yeah I know, but I don't have much claim to my Japanese roots besides the blood," Yugi sighed, before returning her smile with a charming one of his own, hoping that this particular topic would come to an end soon.

"Why's that?" Razz asked softly, not seeming to realize how awkward it was for him to go into.

"Um…" Yugi nervously glanced away. "I don't know anything about that side of the family."

"Didn't your mom ever talk about them?" Razz, unknowing of his dilemma, continued to press.

"Uh no…" he lowered his gaze uncomfortably to stare at the white table cloth.

"Was there a family feud or something like that?"

She would have made an amazing reporter, he'd give her that. "No…no, it wasn't that," Yugi said without looking at her, while he fiddled with one of the many forks placed beside him. She watched him curiously as she noticed his discomfort, wondering what was bothering him as he seemed to be putting walls up to guard his emotions from her.

"She just didn't talk about them?" she eventually suggested after a moment of awkward silence.

"She…uh, she never got the chance," Yugi answered eventually, before giving her a small reassuring smile that seemed a bit off.

"Oh," Razz exclaimed softly as realization quickly set in. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Yugi shook his head, "Don't be, I never knew her."

Razz wasn't entirely convinced by his macho act and softened her gaze, "How did she-"

"I…uh," Yugi quickly interrupted her trail of thought, as he quickly brightened his mood, getting back into his cocky character, "Just realized that I've been hogging all our conversation time, _now it's your turn_."

Razz frowned slightly in thought as she regarded the quick change in Yugi's attitude, before shrugging it off and shook her head. "I think my origin is pretty obvious."

"I'm not so sure about that, I mean your name isn't exactly an obvious indicator. What is Razz short for anyway?" Yugi asked curiously, as it was something he had always wondered about.

Razz grinned, "Razz isn't my real name, _dork_, its' a nickname, short for Raspberry. When I was somewhat younger, I had a favourite show called Tokyo Mew-Mew Power, which was about a group of these super hero girls that fought against aliens, using their powers, which they got from the DNA of certain rare animals, but they each seemed to also have a certain flavour allocated to them, like the leader's character design seemed to revolve around strawberries. Growing up, I saw my brothers as the aliens, and they saw me as a Mew-Mew, so that's how I became Raspberry, because apparently I turn red when I get angry, and eventually we shortened it down to Razz. The name just stuck, and I've been called it ever since."

Yugi had lost focus somewhere in between something about aliens and something about animals and girls, and just nodded his head when she finished, like he had understood everything she had said. The main thing was that he had an idea on where her nickname had stemmed from, and surely that mattered more?

"My real name is Akiko," she confessed, before concluding her introduction, "Nak- uh, sorry, Akiko Nakamura."

"Akiko is a very pretty name," Yugi commented with a small smile.

"I still prefer Razz, it sounds tougher," she responded through a smirk.

"If you don't mind me asking, but aren't you supposed to put your last name first, before your birth-name? I mean, I think that's what I learnt on my online Japanese tutorial," Yugi asked suddenly.

Razz glanced up at him in surprise, "You learnt to speak Japanese over the internet?"

Yugi gave her a wink, "I learnt a lot over the 'all knowing and mighty' internet…but yeah I did, with the help of several fluent gaming buddies I used to play online with."

She nodded her head slowly before rolling her eyes at the gaming part and answered his question, "Yes you do, but this isn't Japan, and I've grown used to saying it the other way so as to not confuse people."

"Just checking," Yugi stated, before giving her another curious look. "So…you have brothers?"

Razz nodded, "And sisters."

Yugi raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Do you come from a big family by any chance?"

She nodded yet again. "What about you?"

Yugi thought for a moment as he weighed his options. "I uh…yeah actually, I do come from a large family."

"Brothers and sisters?" Razz inquired with genuine curiosity.

Once again Yugi took a second to think about it, before hesitantly nodding his head, "Yeah."

Razz smiled softly, "I have three brothers and two sisters." Yugi was fascinated to see the odd emotion of longing in her dark, downcast eyes as she thought about her siblings back home. "Two of my brothers are older than me, and then I have a younger sister and little brother…my second sister and I however, are twins."

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise, "You're a twin?"

Razz grinned sheepishly and nodded, "Yeah, an identical twin."

"Wow…you must be the hot one though right?" he commented flirtatiously, which she rolled her eyes at.

"No, we looked exactly the same…for a while anyway," Razz responded, before rolling her eyes, "Though our personalities were totally different."

Yugi couldn't believe it. What were the chances that he'd meet up with another twin, and that Razz would in fact be one? "That's interesting, and totally unexpected. What's her name?"

Razz's smile suddenly turned warm at the thought of her twin, "Hana...she's…" she suddenly seemed thoughtful with her gaze trained solely on the table. Yugi took a moment to marvel at the sight of warm vulnerability Razz was slowly allowing him to see, and realized he was slowly but surely getting to her. She looked up at Yugi as though she had read his mind, and he could practically see the solid metal walls go up and cutting him off, before giving him a small, dismissive smile. "Never mind the rest. Tell me about your family."

Yugi gulped nervously, before glancing around the room, "I uh…what's there to talk about?"

"Well you sound like you come from a very interesting one," Razz responded, before inconspicuously raising her eyebrow as she took in his somewhat skittish reaction.

"You have no idea…" Yugi mumbled under his breath, before meeting her gaze sheepishly. "They're not really, worth talking about."

"And why's that?" Razz asked curiously, as she caught sight of Yugi's eyebrow twitching.

Yugi nervously glanced to the side, "Damn, where is that water, I'm parched!"

"You're not trying to avoid the question are you?" Razz asked him through a small smirk, as she watched him almost squirm in his seat.

"Of course I am," Yugi muttered in response, before rubbing the back of his neck. "But seriously, does it really take ten minutes to open a bottle of still water, and cider?"

Razz rolled her beautiful dark brown eyes, which Yugi couldn't help but marvel at, and sighed. "In case you haven't noticed, we are not the only ones dining here tonight, try being patient, it's a good skill to invest your time in."

"Now you just sound like my brother… I'm the kind of guy who when I want something, I want it now," Yugi expressed, before folding his arms in front of him, and leaned back against his chair.

"Is this the same brother that I've only caught a glimpse of?" Razz asked him.

Yugi faltered slightly as he registered her question, before nodding, "Yeah, that's my brother Yami."

"You two look alike," she commented. "Or at least that's the impression I'm under for the time being, because I didn't get enough of a chance to make any comparisons."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "We look similar…what more do you need to see?"

Razz seemed deep in thought for a moment at his words, and Yugi caught sight of a slight grin that she was fighting to keep off her lips, but she eventually managed to keep it well under control. "Yeah, I guess that's true too. So are you two just visiting the states then, or do you actually live here?"

Yugi was momentarily surprised by her question, but quickly gathered himself. "Well…my brother is probably _planning_ on living here, I don't know about me just yet, for now I'm only just visiting."

"Well, do you like it here?"

Yugi thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.

"Is it because you'd miss your family?" she tried once again, seeming to linger on the one topic he did not want to discuss with her.

"No," he answered immediately, seeming slightly uncomfortable under her curious gaze.

She smiled slightly and glanced down at the white cotton table cloth thoughtfully, before sighing. "My family and I lived in a small household in the country side, far away from the big cities, in like a kind of farming community. The only times we ever came into contact with the city's big bright and intimidating lights, was when the martial arts tournaments were hosted in them. My parents…were very strict and traditional people, with very old fashioned personalities. My father…" Razz seemed to mentally groan before flinching, "Has the title of Hanshi…do you know what that is?"

Yugi nodded, "Highest awarding title in martial arts I think?"

Razz smiled, "Yeah, _I'm impressed_, but it's also because he's over sixty years old."

Yugi gulped slightly in surprise. "Sixty!"

Razz chuckled, "He married late."

Yugi swallowed the surprise back down his throat and nodded his head as he absorbed the information she had given him, before smiling in awe, "Wow, that's quite an honourable title, you must be proud of him."

A haunted look briefly flashed in her eyes, before she gave him a strangely sad smile. "Any daughter would be, I suppose…but my father can be quite cold and cruel towards us, or at other times…_indifferent_. He's also mostly there for my brothers and them alone."

Yugi suddenly understood where her independent nature came from, as well as her superior fighting skills, going on the assumption that she had to compete for her father's affections, who Yugi also assumed must have held much lower expectations for his daughters than he did his sons. _Didn't some of this, all sound extremely familiar?_

"My mother is a delicate, light hearted woman, who I am absolutely nothing alike. She's a kind of herbal healer, and has the attitude of one as well. She's too weak spirited for my father, and is easily intimidated by him, which is why there were so many fall outs in our family… I'm telling you this, because I want you to know that I know what it's like, to not want to return home," Razz said in a softened voice with her gaze lowered, not seeming to realise how open she was being with him.

Yugi knew that there was so much more to her story that she was keeping in the dark; he could see it in her eyes. There was way more to these so called 'fallouts' that her family endured, than just a difference in opinions and the occasional quarrel that most families had amongst themselves. The hard, '_I'll tear you apart_' look in her eyes that he had always found so attractive, was testament of it…your eyes didn't just get that way, and her die hard personality, wasn't something she just picked up. Razz had a lot of skeletons and baggage in her closet.

"Are you going to return home Razz?" he asked absentmindedly.

She smiled somewhat morbidly, before giving him a smirk, "_I just realized that I've been hogging all our conversation time, I believe it's your turn now_."

Using his own words against him – damn she was good.

Yugi chuckled nervously, before fiddling with one of his knives. "I can't really talk about my family."

Razz raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

He sighed under his breath, "Besides my brother…they're all…uh, _dead_."

Razz gulped in horror, "Oh Kami, Yugi I'm sorry again, I shouldn't have pushed…"

'What do you know, she has a heart,' Yugi thought with light sarcasm. "It's okay Razz, really…if anything 'death' just makes them seem…_to stick around longer_," he mumbled, before chuckling at his own private, sick joke.

"So you believe their souls are still here on earth, watching over you? Is that where believing in ghosts some from?" She really seemed to be making an effort to try and understand him, with an open mind, he realized, as he took in her concentrative frown and focussed gaze.

"Uh…yeah, something like that," Yugi responded vaguely.

"You know, all this is reminding me of this manga that my brothers used to read, which even I eventually got hooked on, but it was such a long time ago," Razz said thoughtfully as she gazed up at the ceiling.

Yugi stupidly looked up at the ceiling as well, as though he'd also somehow find the answers she seemed to be looking for written up there, before quickly glancing back down, his eyes accidentally catching sight of her cleavage. "Oh really?" Yugi asked intrigued by something completely different, "What was the storyline about?"

"It was about this boy who had an Egyptian artefact, which was possessed by the 3000 year old spirit of a former pharaoh that took over his body whenever he was in danger or needed to win a game, and the special bond they shared with each other as well as their friends, while been challenged by several villains and rivals," Razz told him, though her line of thought seemed completely random.

Yugi gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, "You know that sounds so freakishly familiar-"

"Your water, sir," the waiter announced, as he placed a giant glass of water in front of Yugi, offering him a wide yet strangely _off_ smile, before turning his attention to Razz, as he placed her cider in front of her, giving her a more, genuine one. "We have just received a fresh order of shrimp, which will be served to you shortly. In the mean time, can I get you anything else?" He directed the question more at Razz than Yugi, who swallowed a sip of his water grudgingly while giving the waiter a narrowed glare. _There were plenty of dark alleys in Domino City_…

"No thanks, I'm okay. Yugi?" she looked over to him as he immediately straightened his expression into an overly cheerful one.

"Perfectly fine," he muttered in a strained voice.

The waiter nodded, and slowly backed away from the table, but not without giving Razz a final, charming smile…one that Yugi was seriously contemplating on removing, permanently, from his _pretty boy_ face. His dark, crimson gaze followed the retreating waiter menacingly, before he heard Razz clear her throat. "Something wrong?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all, I was just temporarily _stalking_ him from a distance," Yugi muttered in response before taking a small sip of his water, and lightly set the glass back down. "Where were we?"

"Stalking him? What are you some kind of animal?" Razz asked him sarcastically.

Yugi opened his mouth to give her one of his infamous _dirty_ retorts, but quickly remembered where he was and whom he was with, before grinning. "_Ah_, you're doing that girl thing where you test and rate my responses."

Razz narrowed her gaze in confusion. "I'm doing what?"

"Well, you know…" Yugi took in her genuine confusion and decided now would be a good time to shut up, "You know what, never mind. Just pretend I never said anything. And as for the answer to your question, no I'm not some kind of animal…just a _creature_ of sorts."

"A creature?" Razz repeated, with a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"Uh huh…just a creature," Yugi said with a nod. _'And an animal in the bedroom!_' he thought with secret smugness.

Razz shook her head, before sighing, "You Yugi are a really interesting basket case."

"It runs in the family," Yugi retorted with a wink, "It'll make our relationship so much more fun and exciting, don't you think?"

Razz narrowed her gaze at him, "There is no _relationship_, and there isn't going to be one either."

Yugi smirked, "Don't say that just yet, the date's not over for another couple of hours; you might just change your mind."

Razz gave him a look that clearly exclaimed her difference of opinion, but instead of voicing it she simply took a sip of her apple cider, while challenging him with her eyes. The bet was on…and Yugi was going to do everything within his power to win it at all costs. That didn't mean, however, that Razz was going to make it easy for him. "I'm extremely hard to impress."

Yugi chuckled, "Oh yeah, I knew that from the first time I met you, but if anything…I'm welcoming the challenge."

Razz lightly traced the outer surface of her glass with the tip of her index finger, as a small menacing smile curled onto her lips. "So you're one of those."

In Yami's speech earlier that evening, he hadn't mentioned anything about what to do or how to behave when a girl called a guy 'one of those' after a critical observation, so Yugi had no idea how to properly react to it. He also had no idea what she meant by it either, so he said the only thing he could, "Uh, is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

Razz shrugged her shoulders, her grin seeming to grow more, _evil_, by every passing second. "Tell me…what was the hardest challenge you've had to overcome?"

"Uh…in what aspect?" Yugi asked dumbly, his mind still reeling at what 'one of those' meant.

"In any and every aspect," Razz responded, seeming to be enjoying herself a little too much at his expense.

Yugi thought for a moment as he twirled his glass around, carefully, so as to not spill its contents. There were so many he could think of, but none that he was 'legally' allowed to tell her about. Finally one in particular crossed his mind. "I uh…don't know if it counts yet."

Razz glanced at him somewhat intrigued, as he began to nervously fidget under her gaze. "Repairing the relationship with my brother…getting him to at least sort of trust me again. Definitely the hardest challenge I've ever taken on, and probably ever will. Much harder than getting you to like me, trust me."

Razz scoffed at what sounded to her like a cocky statement, "I highly doubt that."

Yugi smirked without much humour, "Trust me, you don't know my brother. When he holds a grudge…" His voice broke off on a heavy note that implicated the rest without needing to be said.

"What happened between you two?" Razz inquired curiously, as she took another sip of her drink.

Yugi briefly glanced to the side thoughtfully, before lowering his gaze. "I did a lot of really bad things to him."

Razz frowned slightly, "Things like?"

Yugi caught himself in time, before he actually spilt all the emotions and feelings he had always been so guarded about, to a girl he barely knew or even really cared about, briefly wondering how or why he had even been so open with her up until now, until he finally realized how badly he had wanted to talk to someone. Razz, however…was not going to be that person, and he instead just shook his head, and forced a smile. "It's not a good topic for a first date…if you consider maybe going out with me on a second one; I might consider actually telling you."

Razz blinked her eyes with dramatic slowness, before flashing him a dangerous smirk and leaned back against her chair. It wasn't a moment later that the waiter brought them their shrimp, and with one look at the strange things that were hanging over the side of his odd shaped glass, Yugi felt the overwhelming need to bolt out the nearest exit. What the fuck were they trying to feed him?

"So you've never eaten shrimp before Yugi?" Razz asked him, after she had thanked the waiter and picked her first shrimp.

There was no way in hell any of those things were going down his throat!

"Nope…" Yugi muttered as he hesitantly picked one up, and observed it a little closer, almost gagging as its odd fishy smell hit his nostrils. The thing looked like a pink fat worm with a moustache. However, after feeling Razz's expectant gaze on him, Yugi hesitantly put it into his mouth and slowly crunched it between his teeth. "Hmm…it's not so bad," Yugi commented after a while, before dipping the rest of its headless body into the sauce that they came with.

"I hope you're not allergic to it," Razz answered as an after thought. "I mean especially if you've never eaten one before."

Yugi contemplated that for a moment, before shaking his head, "Nope, the shrimp seems to be agreeing with me."

Razz chuckled lightly, before moving on to her second. Yugi looked up at her and gave her a curious smile, "Are you allergic to anything?"

She regarded him for a second, before chuckling, "Yeah…to weakness and fear. What about you? Have you got any strange allergies I should be aware of?"

Yugi twirled a shrimp around in its saucy bath as he thought about answering her, before eventually meeting her gaze, "The sun."

Razz scoffed before rolling her eyes, momentarily assuming he was joking, before she realized the earnest look in his eyes, and widened her own with surprise, "You're serious?"

Yugi nodded.

Razz's lips parted slightly as she blinked, "You're seriously allergic to the sun?"

Yugi gave her a small smile as he nodded again, "Haven't you wondered why I'm so pale?"

Razz bit her lip guiltily as she nodded her head, "Yeah I have, but I figured you took after your mom...what happens when you go out into the sun?"

He gave her an amused, joking-like smirk, "Burst into flames."

Razz rolled her eyes, "Are you being serious or are you just fooling around?"

Yugi grinned, before quickly finishing another shrimp, and taking a drink from his glass of water. "I have a really bad reaction to sunlight, my skin…kind of…uh, _blisters_ quite badly into these big red…scorching '_hives_,' which sometimes bleed, within minutes of UV exposure."

"Oh Kami, that's horrible, what's this condition called?" Razz seemed genuinely concerned.

Luckily, Yugi always came prepared for this question, even though he had never been asked it before. _Thank Ra_, "Solar urticaria."

"So…do you like, stay indoors all day?" Razz asked him curiously. Now that she thought about it more, she did remember wondering why his apartment was so dark that time she had accidentally come across it.

"Yeah, pretty much," Yugi replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "How about your allergies, what happens to you when you're exposed to fear and weakness?"

Razz gave him a small, almost guilty smile, "I kind of feel bad about making a joke about allergies, when you actually have one that's that bad."

Yugi waved it off with a reassuring smile, "It's not as bad as you think; I was a night person since the night I was born, so I hardly notice the difference…until it burns." He picked up his last shrimp, before raising his gaze to meet hers, with a small smile on his lips. "Thanks for introducing me to shrimp; it's really not that bad."

Razz smiled at him as she nodded her head in acknowledgement, before suddenly seeming to realize that she was letting her guard down around him, as her eyes immediately hardened yet again, and her stubborn streak reared to the surface. "Just so we're clear, I'm not feeling sorry for you just because you can't walk around in the sun, if you want sympathy, find-"

"Find a bimbo that gives a crap," Yugi finished for her with an amused grin, which brought fourth the memory of their first meeting to both their minds. For a while they just gazed into each other's eyes, and it seemed to Yugi that Razz may have noticed something about his for the first time, as her heart seemed to jolt slightly in its beat, before she smirked and hardened her gaze.

"That's right. Like I said earlier, I'm hard to impress…or even interest for that matter," she finished, before taking a long sip of her drink, while staring at him.

Yugi shook his head as his own smirk widened, by the end of the night, _he would have her_. "Impress you huh?" He glanced around the table, looking for something in particular, causing his date to raise a delicate eyebrow while she watched him curiously.

"What are you looking for?" she couldn't help but ask, but he only grinned at her, before continuing his search.

Before he could find it however, the waiter returned, bringing with him their meals. Yugi paused for a moment to watch the guy who had taken too much of an interest in Razz for his liking, and wasn't surprised to see him checking her out yet again, not seeming to try and hide it either. He placed Razz's food in front of her first, before giving Yugi's his, and once again Yugi found himself asking, what the fuck were these people, trying to feed him.

It looked like a human had met with a blender at some point, consisting of some kind of pasta that looked like skinned fingers, with some freaky looking pink things in the mix, and thick red sauce that held it all together. He did not want to eat it. "Uh…what's this?" he managed to voice.

The waiter looked at him, with a slightly cocked eyebrow. "Chicken chorizo…"

_Right_…

"You sure man?" Yugi inquired, while eyeing the meal as though it was about to jump off its plate and grab him. "Not the last guy that complained to the chef?"

Razz giggled softly from her seat, and fought to hide the smile on her lips.

"No sir…its chicken chorizo," the waiter muttered back in a dead panned way, "Is there a problem?"

Yugi hesitantly shook his head, "I guess not…" Only there was a problem; this fricken hotel was serving their guests to their _guests_!

The waiter nodded, before flashing Razz one last smile, and walked off, seeming to have a cocky edge to each of his steps. Yugi had never wanted to punch a guy as badly as he wanted to smash that particular one. He nervously picked out the fork that was suited for the meal, and began lightly, nudging one of the pink things, trying to figure out what it was.

"I'm guessing you've never had this dish before either?" Razz commented with an amused grin.

Yugi chuckled lightly under his breath, before realizing he hadn't yet found what he had been looking for.

"It helps actually tasting the food instead of moving it around," Razz advised, still holding on to her amused grin.

Yugi sighed in defeat, as he bravely gathered a forkful of the weird meal he was forced to eat and took a small bite. It wasn't as bad as what he thought it would be, but he could still feel his stomach churning at the unnatural diet it was being forced to digest, "Hmm…not bad."

Razz smiled, before turning to her own meal, which Yugi found himself a bit curious about. "What's that?"

"This?" she asked, as she gathered up some of it on her fork, "This is salmon."

"Do you like sea food by any chance?" Yugi asked.

She grinned, before nodding, and took a delicate bite, sighing in content and clearly finding her meal far more delicious than he was finding his. Yugi glanced up and suddenly noticed a cute waitress serving a table nearby to them, with tall silky legs that seemed to stretch on forever, and black hair neatly tied into two buns with chopsticks holding them in place. She energetically served the couple's food, flashing them each a friendly smile, before sexily swaying her hips as she made her way back to the kitchen using a route that would bring her right past their own table, giving Yugi an idea.

Just as she was about to pass them, he politely stopped her, "Um excuse me?"

The waitress, who was a few years older than them, and clearly of Chinese decent, immediately paused to regard Yugi with wide curious eyes that immediately sparkled with interest when she took in his appealing looks. Razz glanced between him and the waitress with a raised eyebrow, before eyeing him suspiciously, as he adjusted himself so that he could face her properly. "Do you know where I can get some string from?"

Both girls thought that he was using this as an excuse to chat her up, with Razz taking a slow, but rather violent bite of her salmon as she all but glared in his direction, whereas the waitress simply smirked at him flirtatiously. "String?" she said to be sure.

"Yeah, I need quite a long piece; do you know where I can get one quickly?" Yugi asked her, aware that he was been glared at from across the table.

"Does it have to be a certain type or colour?" she asked, seeming to still think that this was just a strange way of him flirting with her.

"Nope, just needs to be long," Yugi responded with a small smile.

The waitress nodded her head, flashing him a wide, dazzling smile, before answering, "I can get you some. I'll be right back." She winked at him, before walking off, and Yugi quickly turned to regard a stiffly chewing Razz.

"Prepare to be impressed," he whispered, before giving her a wink.

Razz swallowed stiffly, before raising an eyebrow at him, her glare boring into his eyes like burning coals. "Impressed by what exactly?"

Yugi smirked, "Something that'll amaze you, and blow you away."

The waitress quickly returned, bringing with her a decent length's worth of white string from the kitchen and smiled as she handed it to Yugi, giving him a slightly curious look as she watched him straighten it out. Razz on the other hand, looked at him as though he'd just lost his mind. "Yugi…what are you doing?"

"I'm going to show you a magic trick," he announced, before making himself comfortable in his seat.

"Oooh, I love magic tricks," the waitress purred with wide animated eyes.

Razz first shot a 'back off' look to the waitress, and Yugi briefly worried about the knife that she had clutched a little too tightly in her right hand, before she shot him a curious look of her own, "A magic trick?"

Yugi held the string up horizontally, with an amused glint in his eyes. "This…" he stated dramatically, "Is an ordinary piece of string."

"I can see that dumbass," Razz muttered under her breath, before sighing as she leaned back against her seat, while the waitress just watched on in quiet curiosity. Three other couples that were seated in nearby tables were also suddenly intrigued by Yugi's performance and glanced over to him.

Yugi chuckled; completely unaware of the additional attention he was gaining, as he expertly manoeuvred the string between his fingers, and then straightened out the ends that were dangling from his hand. He showed Razz his hand, before picking up a knife and cutting the part of the string that was wrapped around his middle knuckle, leaving the string in what seemed to be in two pieces, which dangled from the sides of his palm. "As you can see, it's in two pieces now, but I shall remedy that…" he announced mysteriously, as he tied the two pieces together over his knuckle, and then straightened it out once again, showing a long piece of string with an evident knot tied in its centre. He then closed it into the palm of his hand, and held it out towards Razz, "If you'll please blow onto it, for the magic to work?"

Razz gave him a look that had him quickly reclaiming his hand, before she used the knife that was still held quite tightly in her hand, to remove it for him, and grinned at her nervously. "I'll do it!" the waitress sang cutely, before bending down slightly and lightly blowing a gust of cool air over his closed hand, giving him a small wink when he looked at her in surprise.

"Uh…thanks," Yugi responded, unable to help but flash a charming smile to the pretty girl, who was so obviously crushing on him, before remembering that he had a show to put on and used his left hand to dramatically pull the string out of his right hand, once again straightening it out so that everyone could see it. Razz's lips parted open in surprise, whereas the waitress gasped in awed delight, as the string was completely whole without a knot, as though it had never been cut and put back together.

"How did you do that?" the waitress asked, completely taken aback.

Yugi grinned at her, "It's all _magic_." He turned his gaze to Razz and smiled at her, before raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Impressed?"

Razz scoffed, before scooping up another bite's worth of salmon, "Not really."

The waitress glanced over at Razz in bewilderment before blinking at her, and then turned to focus her gaze on Yugi, "I think it's amazing!"

Smaller minds were generally easier to impress…

"Thank you," Yugi responded politely, "And thanks for getting me the string too."

The waitress smiled at him, before extending her hand, "It's was no problem, and I'm Vivian by the way. Vivian Wong."

Yugi, unable to display bad manners, took her hand gently in greeting, "I'm Yugi."

Razz watched the exchange and felt a bit annoyed by it, "I hope Yugi's trick wasn't distracting you from your job or anything."

Vivian turned and looked at her as though she had only seen Razz for the first time, before giving her a small challenging smirk. "Not at all, but I'll take my leave now, hope I wasn't _interrupting_." As she left, Yugi was very careful not to take any notice of it, especially since he'd seen the non-verbal challenge that females seemed to have whenever confronting each other, and remembered something Yami had said about not showing an interest in anyone else but her tonight…though he was somewhat surprised he could get a territorial reaction out of Razz, even though he had not intended for it.

He quickly resumed eating, even though he felt like he was eating with long teeth, and knew his body wasn't agreeing with any of it. "So were you really not impressed by my trick? I'm much better with cards."

Razz was taking a long sip of her cider at the time, while watching Vivian leave, before placing her glass back down with an audible, but not too loud, thud. "Impress me with intelligence Yugi, not cheap carnival tricks."

Yugi smirked, "Okay, I'll give ten interesting facts that you probably don't know about, how does that sound?"

Razz raised her gaze to his and nodded, "Fine, show me what you got."

Yugi straightened up in his chair and nodded, "Okay. Did you know that Earth is the only planet where fire can burn? There's no oxygen in anywhere else in the galaxy."

Razz grinned, "As a matter of fact I did know that. Fire is my element, so I'll give you double points if you can impress me with a fact about it that I don't already know."

Yugi smirked once again, before picking up his teaspoon, and holding it over the small flickering flame of the candle set in the middle of their table. Razz watched him curiously for a few seconds, before giving him a look as though he had lost his mind. "What are you-?"

"Watch what happens in the teaspoon…most people have the concept that fire is water's complete opposite, but I'm going to show you that fire, can actually make water," Yugi explained softly, his eyes almost glowing with excitement. This was one of his favourite ironic facts.

After a minute of watching closely, Razz secretly marvelled, as the teaspoon began to fill with a slight trace of water, and quickly figured out the mechanics behind it that was making it possible, but was still warmly affected by it, even though it seemed like it should have been common sense. Perhaps it had something to do with Yugi's words; that fire can make its complete opposite.

Yugi grinned as he moved the spoon away from the flame and quickly continued where he left off. "Second interesting fact…China has more English speakers than the US."

Razz stared at him for a second, before nodding her head slowly, "I did not know that…"

Yugi chuckled, before taking a moment to think about all the facts that she probably didn't know, since Razz seemed like quite a smart girl, and was probably more, suited for someone like Yami anyway. "Ah! I bet you didn't know that a dentist invented the electric chair?"

Razz shook her head, before giving him an amused grin, "Though it seems quite fitting." They both chuckled over that for another minute, before Yugi thought of another one.

"Did you also know that the outside of your eye is called the cornea?" Yugi asked, mentally cheering when Razz once again shook her head. "Then another fact that you might find interesting is that the cornea cells are the only cells in your body that don't need to get their oxygen through the blood, and instead get the oxygen they need from the air."

"Where did you learn that?" Razz asked with interest, as she took another bite out of her salmon.

"Biology," He answered her with a cheerful grin. "I usually only absorbed the really interesting and weird stuff…like that your hair is made out of the same material as your fingernails. And my personal favourite, did you know that humans and dolphins are the only animal species that have sex for pleasure?" Yugi paused as he registered what he had just said, and slowly closed his eyes, before mentally cursing himself. "Though that was probably inappropriate to bring up," he mumbled under his breath before scratching the back of his head. "I'm Sorry."

_Yami would have had a fit._

Razz chuckled at his discomfort, before adding, "The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 years old, and they lived in China."

Yugi gasped in surprise, "You're kidding?"

Razz shook her head, "Nope, they're world record holders."

_Horny little fuckers_…"Well I'll be damned…if I wasn't already," Yugi added, before relaxing in his seat again. "Well since we seemed to land on this particular topic, did you know that Fred and Wilma Flintstone were the first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV?"

Razz seemed confused for a moment, "Who?"

Yugi's eyes widened as he gasped in horror, "Oh hell no, Razz you've got to know who the Flintstone's were!"

Razz shook her head, "I've never heard of them."

Dear Ra, who the hell didn't know who the Flintstone's were? Yugi wiped his hand down his face before cradling his chin, and rubbed it, "Okay…you will by the end of tonight, trust me. And since I know of a TV show that you should know, since you are an inhabitant of planet Earth, I do believe my score is now high enough to win your approval?" He would have shown her a clip he had of them on his cellphone, but it was a pornographic clip of Wilma blowing Fred, until she was eventually exploded right out of the clip by his 'super sperm,' which he somehow doubted would entertain Razz.

Razz gave him a long hard look, "Just because you're general knowledge is good, doesn't mean you're vastly intelligent."

This girl was a tough customer.

"I can speak all versions of the Egyptian language from the ancient past to the present day Egyptian Arabic, fluently, including Ancient Syrian, Nubian and Hebrew. My French isn't too bad either, and I can also read and write in hieroglyphics, and tell you about Egypt's ancient history - including its neighbouring kingdoms that it often dealt with - better than Google can…and I majored in science at school. How's that, smart enough?" Yugi smirked smugly, as he took in Razz's evident surprise.

"Okay…that does impress me," she chuckled nervously as she shook her head with disbelief. "So what, are you like really into languages or something?"

Yugi shrugged his shoulders, "Not really, we just had a really strict father…"

Razz nodded her head in understanding, "I know the feeling. Okay Yugi, I'll admit that I'm officially curious about you."

Yugi raised an eyebrow, "Only curious?"

Razz just grinned, "Yeah, just curious…what other kinds of special talents do you have?"

Yugi's brow furrowed slightly as he took in her words, "Special talents huh?" He leaned back against his seat and thought about it for a minute, before deciding on some that were safe to tell her about, "Ah yes…well, I'm quite good at games, especially strategic ones, and I'm also quite an expert with yo-yos, I can do all the tricks and stuff…and I have an odd way of been able to take an entire song and completely change its lyrics around at the spur of the moment to suit a particular occasion or how I feel at the time, _or something_…"

"Wow, those are interesting," Razz responded with genuine awe. "I'm curious about the song one."

"I'm not that good," Yugi stated.

"But can you really make up a whole new song?"

Yugi nodded, before becoming extremely wary of the menacing shine in her eyes. "Would you make one up for me, right here and now?" she asked him, _sweetly_…too _sweetly_.

Oh dear Ra no…

"Uh…I can't really…well I mean I _can_ sing, but I'm not like pop star quality-" he tried to explain, but Razz seemed to feed on his nervous fear, which he probably should have predicted ahead of time.

"Use Justin Bieber's 'Baby' as your inspiration," Razz challenged him, before folding her arms expectantly over her chest.

Yugi pretended to glance around the room warily before meeting her gaze, "Uh…I don't think it'll be appropriate for me to stick my hand down my pants and squeeze…_a certain part of my anatomy_…tight enough to reach the same pitch in his voice when he sings."

She wanted to laugh, he could see it, but she skilfully managed to keep a straight face. "He's actually got a very _nice_ voice, which is one of the reasons why he's making millions and you're not. He's got a lot of singing talent."

"Oh please, he's a little _stick-figure_ from Canada with a likeable face that in dire need of a haircut!" Yugi debated with a roll of his eyes.

"Aside from the Canada part, look whose talking," Razz commented dryly.

Yugi raised an eyebrow, before smirking, "I have a likable face?"

Razz glared at him for a moment, before glancing over to the side, "Dream on." Although she was trying to hide it, Yugi didn't fail to notice the fine tinge of pink that stained her cheeks.

"What's one of your favourite songs that's, _not_ by Justin Bieber, who I cannot believe you are actually a fan of," Yugi said as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a fan, I'm just not a Bieber-hater…what do you not like about anyway him?"

Where the hell should he start? "It's a guy thing…now what's your favourite song?" he responded after a few thoughtful seconds, deciding to rather play it safe.

"I don't really have many - oh wait – I know, 'Just the way you are,' by Bruno Mars…that wasn't a bad song," Razz suggested thoughtfully.

Yugi thought about it for a moment, wondering if he had ever come across it on the radio, since it wasn't anything he was likely to listen to of his own personal free will, and tried to piece the song together as well as the tune it played by. "Her eyes, her eyes make the stars seem like they ain't shining? Something like that?"

Razz nodded, "Yeah that's the one."

Yugi nodded thoughtfully as he pieced the rest of the song together, before a smile crept to his lips, "Yeah, I can use this one. I'll make it about you." He winked at her before composing himself, secretly feeling a little insecure about doing this for someone else while _sober_. "Just to remind you once again, I'm not a singer, so I'm just going to…you know…word it."

Razz grinned and leaned back in her seat, "That's okay, just show me what you got."

_Easy for her to say… _Yugi thought, before clearing his throat, as he glanced around the room nervously. He couldn't believe he was actually going to do this, right here and now…

**(Song item…Just the way you are, Yugi's remix.)**

Oh, her eyes, her eyes

Make the souls of hell, seem like they ain't burnin

Her hair, her hair

She can't go anywhere without heads turnin

She's so beautiful

And no one else can compare (yeahh)

I know, I know

When I compliment her, she thinks bite me

And it's so, its so

Obvious, but it's something I've gotta make her see

That everything about her is okay

So this is what I've gotta say

When I see your face

I feel like I've been to a whole new worldly place

One that's amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile

…I'm only scared for a while

'Cause girl you scare me and amaze me

Just the way you are

Her lips, her lips

I could kiss them all day, but she'd kill me

Her laugh, her laugh

Makes me nervous, but it's so sexy

I could stare at her all day

Wondering if she'd ever look my way

Oh you know, you know, you know

You're that one fish in the sea

Amongst millions of others that you outshine with ease

You're everything they ever could hope to be

You've got the whole world down on to its knees

So I'll say

When I see your face

I feel like I've been to a whole new worldly place

One that's amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile

…I'm only scared for a while

'Cause girl you scare me and amaze me

Just the way you are

The way you are

The way you are

Girl you're amazing

Just the way you are

When I see your face

You send me to a whole new worldly place

And I can't believe how amazing

You really, truly are

And when you smile

You awaken something; I haven't felt for a while

'Cause girl you scare me and amaze me

Just the way you are…

**(Give him a round of applause ladies and gentlemen back home!)**

Razz hid her blushing face in her hands, before laughing into them while shaking her head. Razz laughed and hid her face, before shaking her head. Yugi soon joined in her laughter, before finishing the last of his water to help clear his throat again. "So…what did you think? Do I have potential?" he grinned, before chuckling again.

Razz shook her head while still grinning widely, "I think…that, _that_ …was the fastest I have ever seen someone bullshit their way through an entire song…you're good, I'll give you that."

Yugi secretly grinned in triumph; he was slowly but surely 'getting' to her. _This dating thing wasn't so hard_.

"Now that I've proven what mine are…what are your special talents?"

Razz thought for a moment, before grinning evilly at him, "My aiming is _extraordinary_, it's one of my best skills, so anything like archery or throwing darts is like my natural field of expertise…and I can also hit targets from a very long distance away…"

Yugi observed her nervously as he weighed her words and realized how potentially dangerous that made her, "That's both scary and impressive…remind me to never get on your bad side."

Razz gave him an exasperated look, "I have…_several times_…but you've always chosen to ignore me."

Yugi chuckled, "What can I say? I like facing danger!"

"Mmm," Razz hummed lowly as she arranged her cutlery to mark that she was finished with her meal.

"Oh thank Ra, dessert time!" Yugi mumbled excitedly as he did the same with his cutlery, glad to finally be done with the crappy meal.

* * *

Seto's cobalt blue eyes narrowed into annoyed slits as he watched Yugi's date play out from the balconied area above the dining hall, which was also used to seat guests that were dining in the hotel for the evening if the place was packed or if their guests wanted privacy, such as he often insisted on having. It was by chance that he and Ishizu had picked this particular hotel to dine at especially when he had simply wanted to remain 'home' and ironically continue his search for one of the twins, until his female companion had simply put her foot down and demanded he accompany her. Now it seemed that the odds were in his favour.

He had been one of the quiet observers who had made up Yugi's tiny audience when he performed that horrible little magic trick that he had been obsessed over ever since he was a child, and was far from impressed for three reasons. One; Yugi was supposed to be on a _mission_, not gallivanting around on a date with some random human…_and why exactly was he on one anyway_? Two; he was doing a terrible job of courting her and it actually pained Seto to see him make the dumbest of mistakes; and three, he rarely ever enjoyed having Yugi anywhere near his presence.

"Lord Seto…is that-?" Ishizu had begun to ask, but he immediately held up his hand up to silence her.

"This is the one that's fully turned," he answered her, without taking his eyes off Yugi.

Ishizu chewed her bottom lip slightly as she glanced between him and Yugi, and then quickly scanned the floor. There were too many innocent people in the room for a confrontation to break out between two deadly vampires. "I guess…I can provide a distraction-"

"There's no need Ishizu, I'm not going to confront him here, _this suit is far too expensive_," Seto explained, before pulling away from the railing and turned to face her. She was breathtakingly stunning tonight, especially while basked in the soft glow of candlelight, which as usual, brought out and defied all her striking Egyptian features, but Seto remained indifferent to it. For once, she had actually dressed up for the outing, sporting a much shorter navy, V-necked dress that hugged her curves, as well as expensive black stilettos…clearly expressing her freedom to wear what she wanted, since her 'modest' father had kept quite a strict restriction on the types of clothes she was allowed to wear back in Egypt. Seto on the other hand, couldn't have cared any less. "Shall we?" he gestured to their table.

Ishizu shot a questioning look between him and Yugi, "What about-?"

"He won't be a problem, and he's a little too preoccupied at present…_the fool_," Seto scoffed, before marching over to their table and politely pulled out a seat for Ishizu, who unlike Razz had earlier, actually accepted.

"Thank you," she responded lowly through a small smile, as she watched Seto take his own seat directly in front of her, and yanked up his menu somewhat roughly.

"My pleasure…" he muttered back, before sighing in annoyance, "Do I have to order? I find absolutely nothing in this menu appetizing."

Ishizu rolled her eyes at him, tiredly, "Sire, you have not yet, even read past the first page."

Seto muttered something unintelligible under his breath before growling, "I don't need to, I already know that I'm not going to like anything on the next page either."

Ishizu shot him a distained look, "Well it is your own fault that we do not have power at the mansion for me to prepare something for myself, and unfortunately there are very few places open at this time of the evening, with a generator."

Seto growled in response, before grudgingly flipping to the next page, "And as I've explained more than once tonight, it was not _intentional_."

"Sire…" Ishizu began, as though she was scolding a stubborn child, "You smashed an axe through the pool's control panel, which not only cut the power out at the mansion, but also cut the entire of Domino City's power as well."

"It was annoying me, and none of the switches were turning it off," Seto replied without feeling any remorse for his destructive actions.

"It doesn't work if you flick them on and off before the pump can actually register-"

"Well my method worked best of all," Seto retorted in a deadpan voice that usually drove Ishizu crazy, but after spending the day with him, which was always an extremely stressful endurance, she simply had no more energy other than to shake her head and sigh, unable to be at all concerned about the law suit that was bound to head their way if she couldn't get the damage he had caused, fixed, before they returned home.

"I think we should have some wine," she groaned, before picking out the meal that she wanted.

"Alright," he answered without looking up.

"And get someone to spike mine," she muttered dryly, attempting to make a joke with him.

"I'm sure that can be arranged…in fact I wouldn't be surprised if the chef himself is selling _Ecstasy_ from the kitchen's back door," Seto responded with his usual cynical attitude. It had become quite clear, since his arrival, that Seto did not like Domino City…in fact he seemed to detest everything about it and suspected everyone who lived in it, to be either a drug addict, murderer, con artist, rapist, you name anything bad – the locals of Domino City were it.

"Sire…" Ishizu groaned, wanting nothing more than to bang her head on the table.

A waitress suddenly appeared at their side, giving each of them a wide friendly smile, though her eyes seemed to narrow in on Seto as though he were a prized piece of meat. Ishizu had been keeping a close watch on this one ever since she had led them to their seats, while swaying her hips seductively as though to beg Seto's eyes to watch her, and shot him several flirtatious looks when taking down their order, which of course were all unrequited from his side. He just wanted to get this meal over with, with as little pain and nausea, as possible.

He had surprised her immensely however, as when he had sensed another vampire in the building; he had acted quickly, ordering Ishizu to stay in her seat, while he inspected the threat to make sure it was safe, hence the reason he had found himself at the balcony, discovering his cousin. His regard for her safety was an odd revelation, as she had always thought of him as someone who found his servants disposable and easily replaceable…

"Are you ready to order now?" their waitress inquired in a friendly, yet somehow seductive at the same time, tone.

Seto refused to speak, and just gestured for Ishizu to order for him, before turning his bored glare to the other side of the room, where he witnessed several other couples dining quietly. He could hear his cousin's voice as well as Razz's, as they spoke, and was almost horrified when he heard the unusual pattern of the girl's heartbeat, which was an indication of sexual attraction…had she no taste or self-esteem?

"I see you've caught the attention of yet another woman," Ishizu commented through an uncontrollable grin, when they were once again left alone to private discussion. "That makes her your eighth admirer this evening, and if my assumptions are correct about her level of _willingness_, she is probably going to be the easiest to court."

Seto scoffed, "Please, I don't have time for courting women."

Ishizu grinned, "I wasn't aware that a man existed without the 'time' for simple pleasures and thrills…especially if it is easy to obtain."

"Well mark this day then," Seto remarked after taking a deep breath, still in his deadpan persona.

"And besides, Sire, there's surely enough time-"

"There isn't," Seto immediately cut her off, before grinding his teeth together, "Nor do I have any desire to make time for them. I have just travelled across the Ra damn globe, to this Ra forsaken little town that's a camel spit's worth, short of a slum, living in a place where the idea of quiet is almost impossible, and all because, my all high and mighty uncle, spawned that bastard and his twin _rat_, and made them my problem…"

Ishizu watched him for a moment, barely managing to keep a straight face. "Do you feel better now Sire?"

Seto stared at her for second, before answering a simple, "No."

The waitress quickly returned, bringing them their wine, and reassured them that their meals would arrive to them soon, before smiling at Seto, who hardly even acknowledged her existence, and strolled off. Seto took charge and uncorked the bottle, before allowing it to breathe for several minutes.

Ishizu watched his graceful movements, while taking note of several charming aspects about both the way he carried himself as well as his appearance, all of which made it quite easy to understand why so many women fell for him so easily. However, in spite of all the attention he received, he lived a very lonely lifestyle, which she found quite sad. "Master Seto?"

Seto raised both his eyebrows at her expectantly as he waited for her to continue. "Surely you can't enjoy being alone all the time…when will you-"

Seto's eyes hardened immediately, and she decided to stop right there…remembering her place.

Ishizu nodded her understanding with downcast eyes, as Seto poured her some wine. "I'm to be engaged soon…" she announced in a low voice that was barely above a whisper.

Seto didn't look surprised and continued pouring his own wine. "I know."

Ishizu's eyes widened slightly, but her gaze was still focussed on the tabletop. "Will you be choosing my suitor?"

"No," he answered immediately.

"So it is my father then…I'm surprised he waited this long."

"I told him to wait," Seto informed her, still seeming bored and indifferent, and was clearly unaware of her unease, having absolutely no idea of how cruel she found it to be forced into marriage with who she knew would be a complete stranger as her parents had, and her grandparents had before them.

"Why?" she inquired absentmindedly, while she continued to stare at the white tablecloth.

"I have my reasons."

As though _that, _constituted for a reasonable answer to all her questions. Ishizu pouted slightly, but decided to let it go, even though she found it all quite strange. Seto, being her family's ruthless vampire master for many generations, had always been the one to pair the members of her family together with a suitable partner, as he had from the day the first of the Ishtar family was born, but he had always treated her differently. She was the first girl of her family to be allowed out in public and attend school, much to her father's reluctance, but it was something that Seto had insisted on. Even more surprising, was that when Ishizu was ready to graduate, she had mustered up enough courage to request permission to attend college from Seto personally, and he had granted it without a second's worth of hesitation, and even allowed her to go to one overseas, provided she returned to her duties to him, the moment she was done.

She wouldn't dare think that he actually cared all that much for her, as even with the odd amount of additional attention he bestowed on her, he still shunned her with his cold indifference from time to time that he did with all his slaves. It still made her wonder though…

Deciding that she'd rather not spoil her entire evening with such serious and complicated thoughts, Ishizu decided to move on to a topic that Seto might have been more willing to talk about. "How do you plan to take Prince Atem back to Egypt, once you have captured him?" she inquired, as she thought about all the different types of powerful sedatives she could suggest to him, including the commercial ones that she could easily get her hands on.

"I don't," he answered simply.

Ishizu blinked and frowned, "Wh-"

"I'm here to make sure..." Seto began, as he twirled his wineglass around with dramatic slowness, his expression indifferent, but his eyes filled with a darkened emotion, "That Atem never steps foot in Egypt again."

* * *

Yugi happily dug into his chocolate sundae, his body seeming to finally be satisfied with his odd choice of 'feeding' that evening, while Razz watched him with a disbelieving, raised eyebrow. It was the sweetest looking treat she had ever seen in her entire life, and just the thought of how many calories it contained had her cringing in girly horror, as thick, dark and rich scented chocolate smothered the ice-cream from top to bottom, so much that he had to dig to find the actual cold vanilla dessert, along with crispy nutty pieces that were sprinkled along its surface… He seemed to be really enjoying it though.

"I hope you're not one of those people who get super hyper if you've eaten too much sugar…" she stated, eyeing him warily.

Yugi grinned up at her, "I hope so too, but we shall both see how I cope together."

Razz was about to give him a witty response, but a woman she had never seen before, suddenly appeared beside them, giving Yugi a really hard, glaring stare. Yugi side glanced at her first, before lifting his gaze to meet hers, and widened his eyes in surprise. Oh Ra had to be fucking kidding him… The woman's face hadn't changed in the slightest, and neither had her patronizing scowl that marked her aging face, and her blue eyes still held the same bitterness he had seen in them the first time she had approached him like this. '_Oh come on_…not now!'

"I see you're still encouraging the slaughter of innocent cows," she spat pointedly, as she gave him a distasteful look like he was the scum of the earth.

Razz watched the odd exchange, unsure of what to do or how to react to it; _the killing of what_?

"And I see you're still an old miserable bitch," Yugi commented cheerily, with a fake grin, "Like my jacket babe? I assume you must if you've come all the way over here just to comment on it."

Razz widened her eyes in horror, and harshly kicked Yugi under the table, and was surprised when he hardly even acknowledged that he felt it, stunning her momentarily.

"Do you not have a conscience? How do you live with yourself, knowing that you are wearing the produce of another creature's pain and suffering?"

"Oh he didn't suffer as much as I am listening to your voice," Yugi muttered dryly before scooping another spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth, which seemed to be of more chocolate sauce than anything else.

"The nerve, you should be ashamed of yourself!" the woman rasped angrily.

"Have a cow, why don't you?" Yugi mumbled lowly under his breath, while the woman stormed off to probably preach to someone who was eating meat, softly adding 'bitch' just as she left his side line of vision.

Razz whipped her gaze around, trying to piece together what happened. "…the hell?"

Yugi snorted a chuckle, before meeting her gaze. "Yeah, random I know…she doesn't like me much, and no, I have no idea who she is."

Razz blinked in disbelief, "And you met up with her before, how exactly?"

"Walked up to me like she just did now, but at another restaurant and voiced her thoughts on my choice of style," Yugi explained, before spooning another bite of ice-cream into his mouth.

"Do you attract weirdness?" Razz questioned.

Yugi thought for a moment before nodding his head slowly, "Yeah."

Razz grinned, before relaxing in her seat again, actually surprised that she had so far enjoyed most of her date with him. "What's the craziest situation you've ever been in?"

Yugi hummed as he thought about it, "That's like asking me to tell you about each outfit I've worn since the beginning of this year."

Razz raised an eyebrow, "That many huh, okay, well pick the one that you remember most."

Yugi grinned, "Have you ever been to a hard rock concert?"

Razz slowly shook her head.

"That's probably a good thing. Now when I say a hard rock concert, I'm talking about one of the most brutal and violent environments around, where nearly everyone is either wasted or stoned out of their mind and ravelled up to kick some ass. The one I went to this one time was definitely the wildest I had ever been to, I mean you had fist fights breaking out every ten minutes, which created mass hysteria and suddenly everyone was climbing into each other and breaking stuff, until the cops had to be called in. That was one of the craziest situations I've ever been in." Yugi wisely chose to leave the part out about the wild orgy he'd participated in with the eight of the band's groupies backstage.

"Well…I suppose if you can survive that, you can survive anything," Razz commented with wide eyes.

"Have you ever been to a concert?" Yugi asked her.

Once again Razz shook her head.

Yugi widened his eyes in surprise, "Have you at least seen a band play live?"

Razz shook her head yet again, "No."

Yugi once again dragged his hand down his face, and stared at Razz incredulously, before lightly slamming his hand down on the table in determination. "Okay, that's it…I'm going to show you the _pretty stage lights_ tonight."

"W-what?" Razz stuttered, as Yugi gestured for the waiter to come over to them.

"We're going somewhere," he told her, as the waiter hurried over to them. "Can we have the bill? Thanks man."

"Where?" she asked him suspiciously as the waiter hurried off.

"You'll see," Yugi assured her.

Razz narrowed her gaze at him, "How do I know that you're not some kind of serial killer that's luring me off to some dingy spot where no one can hear or find me? This is Domino City after all."

Why did Domino City have such a bad reputation?

He smirked at her ignorance of not knowing how close to the mark she really was. "Well…I've made it a habit not to kill anymore, especially since there are so few pretty girls in the world these days, and I don't think it can afford to lose you so…I think you can trust me." _For now_…

Razz rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha-ha," she worded sarcastically, just as the waiter arrived, still seeming to be too interested in her for Yugi's liking.

Yugi stared at him for a moment, before deciding on something and reached for the bill at the same time Razz did. They had a brief stare off, before Yugi managed to slip it out her grip and shook his head at her stubborn reaction. Seriously, what was wrong with women today? However, just before he handed the check book back to the waiter, he wrote a message down at the back of the bill, addressed to the waiter, and gave him a wide grin as he took it, then turned back to Razz. "Come on, let's go."

"Do you really see me as the type of girl to just go into something blindly?" Razz inquired as she folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"Is that a trick question?" Yugi responded, before inspiration struck him, "Unless you're trying to hint that we stay here and _hangout_ in your room?"

Razz blinked, "How cheap do you think I am?" She suddenly seemed very, _VERY_, offended.

Oh crap, wrong move! Wrong move! Yugi's mind spun into overdrive, (while Seto painfully felt like slapping some sense into him in the back of the head) until auto pilot seemed to kick in and his lips moved without his command, "That's what I thought, so let me take you out to have a great time, like I _promised_ I would."

Razz regarded him suspiciously for a while, before hesitantly nodding her head, "Okay…but on one condition."

Yugi mentally breathed a sigh of relief, though his confident façade hadn't faltered in the least. "Sure, name it."

"Nowhere _shady_…you got it?" Razz demanded in a stern tone.

"Trust me, there'll be plenty of light where we're going," Yugi attempted at a joke…_and failed_.

"You're not funny Yugi," Razz retorted, before getting up from her seat, which Yugi immediately imitated.

"I have my moments…" Yugi responded softly, as he followed her out the room, quickly opening the door for her just before she could reach the handle. She sighed in annoyance before turning to glare at him.

"You know…you never struck me as a _gentleman_," she commented irritably.

Yugi smiled and followed her through the doorway, before closing the door softly behind them, "I was, believe it or not, brought up right. It's just that my elders encouraged me to be a dick instead."

As they were about to leave the foyer, a small group of four, breezed in through the front doors, completely ignoring the poor doorman who had tried greeting them in the same warm and hospitable way that he had greeted Yugi. The first thing Yugi noticed about them, was that there was only one brunette amongst them, and the other three were all blondes, the second thing he noticed was that they were all hot, and the third thing he noticed was that the main blonde of the pack, was staring right at him with a surprised look in her eyes. Her lips parted as though she was about to actually speak to him, but Yugi didn't feel like sticking around and pretending to remember her, knowing that it would be rude to his date, so instead, he boldly reached for Razz's hand and gently clutched it in his, before nodding a sort of greeting to the girls and guided Razz out the hotel, before they could stop him.

The girl's lips curled up into a delighted and almost smug grin as she watched the pair leave through the front doors, and almost felt like jumping up and down while squealing in celebration, when her brunette friend caught her attention. "Uh, Serena, what's the hold up?"

"Nothing Ash…I just noticed something very interesting," she replied through an excited grin.

"You mean that hot guy?" Ashley purred, "I know right!"

"Sexiness like that shouldn't be legal to flaunt in public," her second friend Monica Morrell mewled as her eyes ogled his retreating figure.

"That's just bad boy delicious in its finest dessert girls," the last of her friends Marcie Millar commented.

Serna stared after him thoughtfully, and realized that he hadn't shown her any recognition, which bothered her a little bit, but she figured that perhaps with the dim light he hadn't been able to make out her features all that well, so she decided not to dwell on it, after all, who'd ever forget a face as beautiful as hers? "I wouldn't mind having a bite…" she mewled softly, before running the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip and then bit it gently.

"Now, now Serena, you're a taken girl remember," Ashley reminded her friend as she draped an arm over her shoulder, which was more to steady herself from falling over than to show her any affection.

"Yeah Serena, give us a chance to snag a hottie," Marcie whined.

"Did you see that social reject he was with?" Monica inquired as she quickly sent a text message to someone on her flashy bedazzled phone. "She seriously needs a manicure and a new hairstyle that isn't done at Goth Central."

"Totally," Marcie agreed as she opened a text message on her own phone, "OMG Monica, you're such a slut!"

"Totally!" Monica agreed as the pair hip bumped each other, before fixing their hair.

With the way her friends were behaving, it was easy to tell that they had been drinking plenty before arriving, but Serena wasn't too bothered by it, knowing that there was nothing the city could do to her if they were caught. She was Domino City's _princess_ after all.

"Come on girls, we're supposed to be talking 'wedding' here," Ashley reminded them as she ushered them into the dining hall, before looking back at Serena over her shoulder. "Are you coming Serena?"

Serena slowly turned around and began walking towards her best friend with an evil smirk on her face. "Do you remember that hot foreign guy I was telling you about?" she whispered lowly, so that their other friends - who were so busy and engrossed with the content on their cellphones to notice - wouldn't hear.

"Oh!" Ashley exclaimed as she remembered, "The one that's apparently going out 'Slutèa' and drives a Ferrari?"

Serena smirked as she heard Ashley use Tea's old nickname in school, and nodded. "That was him; I knew I recognized his car outside."

Ashley gasped, "OMG shut up! He's totally hot!"

Serena rolled her eyes playfully, "Well duh, I told you didn't I? And you know what the best part is?"

Ashley played dumb and shook her head.

"Either he and Tea broke up or-" Serena moved in closer, and lightly whispered, "He's dating her on the side!"

Ashley giggled, "He's totally 'dating' her on the side! She's got no class, and he's all class – and _badass_!"

Serena and Ashley reached out and clutched each other's hands before performing a mini crouch as though they were about to hop, before straightening up, grinning at each other brightly. "He's going to be mine!" Serena declared, before swishing her long blonde hair over her shoulder, "I knew that whole thing between him and Tea was just a show put on to play hard to get."

Ashley's smile faltered for a minute, before she jerked her chin slightly to the right, "Wait a second…what about Shane?"

Serna rolled her eyes. "What about him?" she said in a slight sing-song voice, before grinning at her friend conspiringly.

Ashley smirked, "_Uh_…You're like totally getting married to him?"

Serena laughed cruelly, before putting her arm around her friend's shoulder and guided her towards the dining halls' entrance way. "What Shane doesn't know, won't hurt him," she whispered in her friend's ear, whose smirk only widened.

Ashley nodded her head in approval, though Serena failed to notice the calculating glint within her friend's dark brown eyes. If Serena's secret happened to somehow slip…Shane would be all hers for the taking. 'Keep laughing and having a good time Serena, because that ring's going to soon be mine, you devious little slut,' she thought secretly, before smiling to keep up appearances.

While the foursome were led to their table, the waiter which had served Yugi and Razz looked the bill over and was annoyed when he discovered only a one dollar tip. He irritably grabbed the bill, and read the note Yugi had left him, before grinding his teeth together in annoyance. His words were, 'Here's my tip for you man – in future, don't ogle over a guy's date when he's going to be the one who decides your tip at the end of it…_sucker_!'

* * *

Yugi led Razz to Yami's Ferrari, and smirked when he heard her light gasp of surprise. "Is that…" she began wondrously, "Is that seriously a 2009 Ferrari California?"

"Feel like travelling in style?" Yugi inquired as he dug into his jacket's pocket and pulled out the vehicle's keys, before pressing the button that automatically unlocked it.

Razz stopped following Yugi abruptly, and stared at him with wide questioningly eyes. "Seriously? This is _seriously_ your car?"

Yugi contemplated on actually accepting ownership on Yami's vehicle, since she would probably never find out, but for some reason he found it quite hard to lie to her. "Nope, this one belongs to my brother, I'm borrowing it for the evening…since mine met a tragic end last night."

Razz's brows rose right up to her hairline, "Oh, what happened to your car then?"

"Car bomb," Yugi responded, unable to mask the bitterness in his voice, though he did try.

Razz glanced between the expensive shiny convertible and Yugi, before finally settling on him. "Are you guys like part of the mafia or something?"

Yugi chuckled, "Sure can resemble one sometimes."

Razz gave him a wary glance, before walking up to the vehicle and checked it out. "Oh man, what a beauty."

"Like it?" Yugi asked with a hint of amusement as he watched the slight changes in her expressions as she took in the car's stylish curves.

"What's not to like? That's a V8 engine under the hood – can't wait to hear this thing roar – and with its 7-speed dual clutch transmission as well as its multi-link rear suspension, this is pretty much Ferrari's ultimate car!" Razz enthused, seeming suddenly excited, whereas Yugi's amusement quickly turned into shock as his mouth dropped open.

"Whoa…you can speak car?" he gasped.

"You bet I can," Razz informed him as she crouched down and checked the tyres out. "I have two older brothers remember."

Yugi stared at her as though it was the first time he'd seen her, never for one minute having suspected that she was a vehicle enthusiast before, until now. He was suddenly extremely inspired, "Razz, I think you and I, are going to get along, just fine."

She gracefully lifted up from her crouched position in a fluid motion, which was almost vampire perfect. "How fast can it go?"

Yugi smirked as he opened the passenger's door wide open for her, "Top speed is 193 miles per hour…but this baby can accelerate from zero to 62 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds." _It was only a fraction faster than he was._

Razz smirked as she climbed into the passenger seat, before taking a look around her at the interior's layout. She breathed in deeply and sighed as the car's scent hit her nostrils, just as Yugi seated himself beside her behind the wheel. "It smells like vanilla in here."

"Yeah, it's Yami's favourite scent," Yugi explained, as he started the car.

"What's yours, chocolate?" Razz inquired, as she thought back to Yugi's obvious weakness for chocolate.

"Strawberry," he said surprising her, "You?"

"Cinnamon," she answered him with a small smile.

"Good choice," Yugi responded as he threw her a hot smirk, which she inadvertently did a double take one. Since when did she start noticing features about him that were _hot_?

He pulled out the parking lot, and turned the car out onto the deserted street which was completely dark and creepy looking without the aid of its usual street lights, Yugi on the other hand, wasn't at all fazed and cruised along it as though it were as clear as day outside. "So where are we going to go if the whole of Domino City's power's out?"

"Out of town," Yugi replied, bracing himself for the storm…

"What?" Razz exclaimed, "No way in hell are we leaving the city!"

"It's not exactly a city…" Yugi tried.

"Yugi, seriously, stop the car," Razz commanded through clenched teeth.

"I promise, it's not going to be that far, it's like a twenty minute drive in this car-"

"I said stop the damn car!"

Yugi flinched slightly at her tone, but did as she asked immediately, and parked it on the side of the curve. She turned in her seat and glared at him with one hand resting readily on the door handle.

"Uh…" he began as he noticed where her hand was, "If you really…" He couldn't hold back the disappointed sigh that escaped his throat before he looked away from her. "If you really want to call it a night, will you at least let me drive you back?" he turned back to her, when he had proper control over his emotions and met her gaze, "I don't feel comfortable with you walking around in pitch blackness like this just to get away from me, there are too many creeps in Domino."

Razz raised an eyebrow, "You'd drive me right back?" He noticed a slight trace of suspicion in her voice.

"I'm not trying to kidnap you Razz," he answered.

Razz suddenly felt guilty and bit her lip, before settling back in her seat, and moved her hand away from the door handle. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly, before lowering her gaze, "I…I have major trust issues, and I don't trust anyone easily…sometimes I don't trust anyone at all."

Yugi watched her intently for a moment as he tried to figure out _that _which was Razz. An idea suddenly occurred to him, and although he knew that its chances of success were a long shot, he figured he'd try it anyway…because heck, he's date was already on its crutches. He reached under the driver's seat and fumbled around until his fingers traced the sharp edge of something cold and metallic, and pulled it out. Razz shifted slightly away from him as she regarded the strange looking knife in his hand, while warily eyeing him at the same time, wondering what he was planning to do with it. He carefully turned it so that the blade was pointing at him and away from her, hoping that would make her feel less nervous, as he had heard the sudden jolt in her heart beat, and carefully handed it to her with an amused smirk.

"Here…take this. If I do anything that makes you feel threatened or unsafe, you can use it on me...that way you can be sure I'm not going to invade your comfort zone, _because I think you'll use it one me anyway_."

That last part managed to get a smile curl onto Razz's lips as she carefully took the knife from him by the handle and examined it, noticing the exquisite detail on it that screamed Egyptian without her even needing to concentrate all that hard, before she looked up at him and once again threatened him with her usual hard glare. "Just so we're clear, I will kick your ass and kill you if you try anything, or get me into anything."

"I look forward to it," Yugi said, standing up to meet her challenge, as things seemed to go back to normal with them.

"And for your information, I could have totally made my way back to my hotel, safe and sound. I know how to defend myself," she said, defending her own honour.

Yugi smirked as he started the car again and pushed the vehicle forward into drive. "I wasn't concerned as much for your safety, as I was concerned for anyone you may have come across…we _creeps_, have to stick together you know."

Razz grinned as she shook her head, "You're not a creep…you're just _strange_."

"Noooo…" Yugi drawled out softly in thought, "I am pretty much a creep…you know with the whole coming out at night only thing, drinking blood, seducing young girls-"

"Sleeping in coffin all day," Razz added playing along.

"Uh…no. Coffins were so last millennia; we sleep all day in _style,_ nowadays," Yugi retorted with a joking wink.

Razz chuckled despite herself, and looked the dagger over in her hand, "This is a beautiful knife."

Yugi side glanced at it, before refocusing his gaze back on the road ahead of him. "It's a replica."

"A replica of what?" Razz asked in curiosity.

Yugi remained silent for a long, long time, and Razz had almost assumed he wasn't going to answer, before he finally spoke. "It was originally called the 'Dagger of Fate,' which according to myth determined the fate of your soul in death if you were killed with it, by weighing the light and darkness in your heart. It's been in my family for a very long time."

"Determined your ultimate fate in death...? Was that like the weighing of souls in the after life?" Razz asked curiously as she puzzled over the meaning.

"Yeah something like that, but with a different outcome," Yugi replied mysteriously, before passing on to the outskirts of the city, "That dagger that you're holding now however, will only determine whether or not I've learnt my lesson."

Razz looked up at him and grinned, before turning to look out at the pitch blankness through her window, unable to make out anything they were driving past, though she had gathered that they were on the highway. The light purr of the engine was lulling and the silence between her and Yugi, as each seemed to be in their own thoughts, was comfortable, which allowed Razz time to truly observe all that she had thought and felt about the boy, who was still a stranger to her, and was startled when she realized how much she had let him in that night. That was definitely a first for her.

* * *

(Three years ago – Yugi's transformation)

"_Where's Yugi?" Yami rasped angrily. _

_Dendera smiled cruelly with a knowing look in her eyes. _

Feeling his temper rise beyond his control, Yami snapped and grabbed her by the throat, before growling angrily, "Where is he Ra damn it?"

Dendera flinched back. Fear lightly tinting her eyes as she remembered whom she was dealing with. "He's…He's…he had to feed…for the transformation to be completed," she whispered, sounding far more nervous than she looked.

Realization hit him like a cold wave of ice…and as stupid as his question was…he couldn't stop himself from asking it.

"What transformation?" he asked numbly, feeling his body ready to crumble beneath him.

There was a short pause as Dendera was hesitant to respond to him, unsure of how he'd react. "His transformation into a vampire…"

Within seconds, Yami was out of her room and making his way towards a special chamber on the far side of the tomb, shoving past several loafing vampires along the way, who hissed and growled at him in return, but didn't dare intentionally _provoke_ him into a violent confrontation, as it had become 'tomb' knowledge of what he was truly capable of. He didn't stop to take a breath, even though his side was killing him from the cracked rib he had received in his confrontation with Yugi, and rushed forward until he slammed into the enormous wooden doors, which he knew Yugi was behind, and flung himself into the room.

All eyes immediately turned on him as the vampires in the room regarded him as an invader and a _troublemaker_, and Yami could immediately sense the alarm run through them, as several vampiric guards jumped to their feet to stand in his way. It was a large, circular room made of smooth polished stone, with a second level that rose a few feet from above the main floor where all the VIP vampires sat, his father in particular who sat on a golden throne in the very centre, where he could see all that was happening below him as well on his sides. Right then however, his entire focus was on Yami.

Yami stared fearlessly into his father's eyes for a moment, before he heard the light gurgling of someone's throat and whipped his gaze to the centre of the room, where Yugi was on his knees, holding himself up weekly by his arms, as a thick, gooey, red-black liquid flowed from his mouth and pooled beneath him. His entire body was trembling and sweating blood, and Yami was alarmed to see the pained expression on his younger twin's face, which had paled to a frightening shade of bluish death.

"Yugi!" Yami called out in horror and concern, completely forgetting all about his bitterness towards the fact that his brother had attacked him, and was instead focussed on the fact that his younger twin was in trouble and that he needed to protect him. As he rushed forward however, a guard stopped him by tackling him into an iron hold and kneeing him in the gut to force him onto his knees.

Yugi coughed up more blood and choked, struggling to breathe and cope with the pain as he felt his body dying, while Yami watched in horror, gulping for breath and still trying to break free. "Y-Yami…_I'm_…" he sputtered weakly, before an electric pulsation protruded from his heart and he felt his entire body convulse with pain. He dropped to the ground and blacked out, while his body remained active, as a series of convulsions racketed through his body.

It was a terrifying sight…

"Yugi? Yugi!" Yami cried, before spinning around and punching the vampire that was holding him down, so hard that he flew across the room and slammed into several others that were behind him. _'Hold on, I'm coming!'_ Yami thought as he elbowed another vampire out of his way, and leaped over another that was diving towards him, with a growl, almost reaching the main floor, when he was grabbed from behind and flung into a wall on the side of the stands. His vision swam for a second, as his skull had collided with the wall pretty hard, but just as it was about to clear, Seto appeared before him, and reached out to grab him around the neck, holding him firmly in place.

Yami growled in anguish, and tried to shove Seto's hold off him, but the older vampire's hold was too strong. "Get off me!" Yami commanded angrily, but Seto just pulled him a little way away from the wall, before shoving him back into it, harder than before, in warning.

"Do you want him to die?" Seto growled under his breath, his blue eyes turning icier. Yami tried to use his mind reading ability on him to figure out what his words had meant, but Seto had developed a way to block his thoughts from being read, which annoyed Yami considerably.

"He's already fucking _dying_!" Yami spat, as he gave a final, unsuccessful shove to try and escape Seto's clutches, but Seto had been the one who had trained the twins to fight, and knew all their fighting styles already, so he already knew what Yami was going to do before he even tried it…_plus_ Yami's mini concussion wasn't doing him any favours either. He didn't respond to Yami's statement, but instead began to drag him towards the exit, away from his brother's jerking and twisting body that was bending in highly unnatural ways that shouldn't have been possible without snapping his spine, as blood gushed from every opening point of his body.

Seto flung Yami's body out of the doorway, in which he fell on his back with a loud thud, before slamming the doors in his face. Yami quickly got up and once again, tried to slam his body into the door…_but the fricken thing was locked_, so instead of bursting through it, like he did last time, Yami came off extremely short and just bounced off it like a ping-bong ball and slammed into the wall on the opposite side, before dazedly sliding down it and landing on the floor, with the world spinning around him. 'Ra that was so damn stupid…' he found himself thinking, as he dizzily climbed to his feet, and gingerly approached the door with a bit more caution, before banging on it with his fist. "Seto…let me in!" he barked, before coughing. "Ra damn it, open the fucking door!"

When he was blatantly ignored, Yami felt the realization about what exactly had transpired that evening, strike him hard, which once again numbed his entire being, and he fell to his knees gasping for breath, his throat feeling as though acid had been poured down it. Yugi was turning into a vampire...he was going to become one of them. His breath hitched in his throat, and tears were threatening to fall, but Yami would never allow himself to cry. The only person in the world who he lived for, was dead…the only person who he had ever trusted had betrayed him…it was all falling apart.

Yami had never felt so alone…

* * *

(Present Day – Part Two of First Date)

They arrived in a well lit town that Razz had never seen, or been in before, which was called Morganville Falls, and Yugi confidently made all the right turns down the right roads, which indicated that he had been there before, though Razz could not picture Yugi in such a place. It held a very old residential, small town charm to it, without the enormous buildings and dazzling lights of the city they had just left, and everything seemed to be closed, except the 24/7 gas station. Domino City at least had several malls that stayed open permanently; this town didn't seem to have anything open at this time of the night, which made Razz wonder why Yugi had brought her here.

He took a left turn and drove up a steep hill, while casually resting his elbow on the edge of his open window, his gaze seeming to drift every now and then to the sides of the roads, as though he could see something that Razz couldn't, even though she tried. However, after a few minutes, the vehicle crawled out of the darkness, as though they had travelled through a dark tunnel, and was engulfed by a soft orange glow as they neared a large shed-like building that was completely isolated from the rest of the town, and surrounded by enormous trees that were on the verge of creating an almost woodland surrounding.

There was a soft humming sound coming from within the shed that hadn't yet been able to penetrate through the car's metallic barrier to be totally understandable to Razz's hearing, but she gathered that there was music playing loudly inside. Cars of all types and colours, though none within the same class as theirs, were packed in the parking lot, allowing only a handful of open spaces for Yugi to choose from, which is how he ended up making his own parking space beneath a tree off the side of the road, still close to the entrance, and turned off the engine.

"What is this place?" Razz inquired curiously, as she studied their surroundings with interest.

"It's a hangout for all the teenage rebels of this place, come on, you'll love it," Yugi explained vaguely as he hopped out his seat and began to make his way over to her side to open the door for her, but she had already climbed out it on her own, and shut the door behind her, before taking another good look around.

"It seems remote," she commented.

"Well if you don't want your authorities or higher ups to know about all the bad shit you get up to when you're seventeen or younger – remote is good." Yugi kicked a stone out his way as he made his way over to Razz, with his hands tucked in his pockets. "I'd hide the knife away though; you don't want to create mass-panic in there," he said while pointing his gaze towards the shack.

Razz glanced down at the weapon he had borrowed her, having briefly forgotten about it, and gave him a sheepish look before hiding it in her side. "I-isn't concealing weapons a federal crime?"

Yugi rolled his eyes and shook his head, "There are no such things as federal crimes."

Razz raised her eyebrows at him as she followed him towards the entrance, imitating his casual pace. "Really?" she asked sarcastically.

"In a moment you're going to tell me you actually believe there are such things as policemen too," Yugi mumbled back with an amused grin.

"Why am I afraid of where this is going?" Razz droned.

"Rules are there for others to follow, but when you're with me…" Yugi turned in his step and began walking backwards as he regarded her, "You don't need to, _because with me you're free_."

Razz narrowed her gaze, "That is so cheesy it almost makes me gag."

Yugi chuckled, "I wasn't saying it to be romantic. _I meant it_."

Razz shook her head at him and glanced away just in time, to miss Yugi almost tripping over an uprooted tree root, luckily regaining his balance with unnatural grace before making a total fool of himself, just as Razz turned back to look at him. "So are we like at a club or something?"

Yugi mentally breathed in a sigh of relief as he turned back to walking forward and paid better attention to where he was going, before responding, "More like a dive-bar."

Razz slowly closed her eyes as she registered the type of place she was going to, before opening them again. "I am going to kill you," she threatened, seeming to lack the energy to make her words more, believable.

"I look forward to it," Yugi retorted before giving her one of his extremely hot smirks that she for some reason found hard to resist or stop thinking about. "Besides, what's a bit of _romance_ without one partner wanting to kill the other?"

"Normal?" Razz suggested dryly with a questioning look.

"Normal is _extremely_ overrated," Yugi responded, before climbing the rusty steps that lead up to the building's porch entrance.

Razz gave him a look and was just about to comment on his strange logic, when the metal doors thudded open and a couple about their age staggered out clumsily with music briefly blaring behind them, before the doors automatically shut closed again, giggling at something, before one of them recognized Yugi. "Dude!" the guy announced excitedly with wide star struck eyes as he took in the sight of his idol, and Razz watched Yugi's slight, backward withdraw as he seemed hesitant to acknowledge his obvious fan. "Oh man! _Dude_!" he seemed at a loss for words, and Yugi just nodded, before forcing a small smile.

"Yeah…hey, Alistair," Yugi greeted, before the red headed guy, who was a great deal taller than Yugi, wrapped him in a tight hug and briefly lifted him off the ground, before setting him back on his feet, and wildly gestured to his female partner, who seemed airy and off balance, and had to lean against the wooden railing that stopped her from falling off the porch. "Gina, this is the guy I was telling you about, you know the one that-"

"Uh let's not talk about it, man," Yugi quickly stopped him, by grasping him tightly on his shoulder, enough to make the man flinch in pain. "It's not a huge deal-"

"You're kidding me right?" Alistair laughed, before jabbing Yugi in the chest. "You're a fricken legend! I fucking idolise you man! The way you just-"

"Uh…you know, meet my date," Yugi gestured to Razz, who had been watching the pair with a raised eyebrow, and just nodded with a small, slightly suspicious smile when they both turned to look at her.

Alistair looked as though his eyes had just landed on an oasis in the middle of the desert. "_Dude_…what a babe!"

"Hey!" Gina growled at him from above them, and he clumsily turned around to look up at her, before pushing both his hands up to her in apology.

"N-no no, she's just a second babe, _Babe_, you're my number one babe and…" he muttered some other nonsense that made no sense to either party including himself, before he finally gestured to her and then to them, "Meet Gina everybody." He lowered down to Yugi's level and after giving him a conspirator's smirk, lowly whispered, "_You won't believe how easy she is_."

Looked like someone was at least having better luck than he was, Yugi observed…and he _did_, actually know how _easy_ and _spontaneous_ Gina could be.

"Oh wait!" Gina suddenly exclaimed as she took better notice of Yugi. "I do know you!" And that was what Yugi was afraid of, since he and Gina had actually been well _acquainted_ before a few months back. He held his breath as he saw the wheels of her brain churning awkwardly behind her light brown eyes, as she tried to remember him, and he hoped that she was too drunk to remember much from that night, or else he'd have some serious explaining to do to Razz, who up until now didn't seem to be catching on to anything sinister. "You're that guy…!"

Yugi blinked before nodding his head slowly, "Yeah…um, you know, Razz and I came here to party, so we better get in before we miss all the good stuff." He quickly reached for Razz's hand, which he was surprised to find that she was willing to allow him to hold, and gently guided her up the steps, careful to avoid walking into Gina's space, aware from past experience that she was likely to react violently without much provocation. "See you guys around."

"Have a good one, man!" Alistair cheered, before helping Gina down the steps, though he wasn't much better with his own balance and almost ended up falling backward. "You rock!"

Yugi turned slightly to look back over his shoulder at the redhead and forced a small smile of gratitude before nodding once, and scratched the back of his head, as he turned back to face Razz who stared at him with an expression that seemed to be made up of a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "_Uh…yeah_, you don't want to know what that was about," Yugi responded to her expecting stare with honestly, before opening the door slightly for her. "Shall we?"

Razz looked him up and down once, before shrugging and hesitantly made her way forward towards the entrance way, just before Yugi opened the door wider for her, and loud music exploded through it. Yugi cringed slightly as he better prepared his senses for the oncoming assault, and diligently followed after Razz, making sure he didn't lose sight of her, especially since the place seemed even more, packed than usual.

The inside, looked totally different from the outside, with a large dance floor that stood below a wide wooden stage, upon which a band was playing feverishly on, while spotlights illuminated them in a variety of different exciting colours. Razz stared at them with wide eyes, before turning to Yugi questioningly, which gave her a small grin in return and pointed to the stage. "I told you I'd take you to see a band play live!" he yelled so that he could be heard over the loud music as the guitarist played his energetic solo. Razz's expression first turned into surprise, before a genuine smile crept on her lips and she nodded her head once in acknowledgement, which Yugi took as a nod of approval and grinned.

"Come on, let's get better seats!" he suggested, before gently steering Razz to the other side of the room, being careful not to touch her too much as he lead her away from the unofficial dance corner, where he knew several people often became quite rowdy in, and directed her to an almost empty section, which had a row of large wooden crates all stacked solidly upon each other that people used as high chairs to watch the show.

He first leapt up to the top of the crates, temporarily forgetting to _act human_, before reaching down to help Razz up, lifting her to the top effortlessly and pretended to ignore her gulp of surprise, as he took in their energetic company who were mostly all familiar faces to him.

Razz on the other hand, attempted to shrug off her surprise at how strong Yugi was and focus on their surroundings. Most of the interior's furnishings seemed to have been makeshifts or done by amateur craftsmen, including some of the areas which seemed to have been repaired in the past. Her mind however, wondered over to the stage the minute the guitarist's solo reached its climax, and a cheerful roar of delight exploded from the crowd who were jumping up and down in wild support. Razz suddenly understood why it was that people enjoyed live concerts, the atmosphere was amazing!

"Yo, Yugi!" a male's voice suddenly called from somewhere beside them, and both turned to see a dark haired male, making his way towards them from the bar, with a beer in his hand.

Yugi's eyes widened slightly. "Sup' Collins?" Yugi greeted, as the young male joined them. The boys briefly fist pumped while the guy's eyes darting to the stage every once in a while, before turning to fully regard them, and gave Yugi an amused smirk once he had noticed Razz beside him.

"Tell me you're here to bring some more life to the party again?" the guy, who Razz only knew as 'Collins' for the time being, inquired with a rebellious spark in his eyes.

Yugi shook his head, "I've got a girl with me tonight."

The guy nodded his head in understanding. "So I see, hey there," he greeted her.

"Hey yourself," Razz responded in her usual 'don't get too close to me or I'll knock your teeth out' kind of way - Feisty as usual.

"Razz, meet Shane; Shane meet Razz," Yugi introduced vaguely with simple gestures.

"Sweet name," Shane complimented her, before adding, "What's it short for?"

Razz gave him a long hard stare that was as every bit uninviting as the first one she had given Yugi when they had first met. "I don't know, what's Shane short for?" she responded sarcastically, and Yugi choked on a giggle. _That was priceless_.

Shane chuckled too, before turning his gaze back to Yugi, "I like her."

Yugi grinned, "You've got a long, long, looooong way to go before she starts liking you back." He winked at her in amusement when she flashed him a look with a raised eyebrow.

Shane laughed, before gesturing to the stage and its audience, "Why'd you bring her here? This town sucks!"

"We came to check out the bands. Is anything really good playing tonight?" Yugi asked.

Shane shrugged, before taking a small swig of his beer, "Michael's going up after these lame ass jackasses are done. I think he's pretty good. Just make sure that your girl doesn't fall for him."

Razz gave him a hard side glance, "I'm not his girl first of all, and second how would you even know what I'd fall for?"

Shane seemed momentarily taken aback, whereas Yugi just smirked, thankful to have her pick on someone else for a change instead of him. "I uh…well most girls are pretty into him," he quickly explained, giving her a nervous smirk, seeming to feel the burn of her glare.

"Let's get something straight Shane, I'm not like most girls, so don't just assume things about me, understood?"

Shane stared at her wide eyed, before Yugi cut in, "A _loooooong _way to go my friend."

Razz shot him a warning glare, "Shut up."

"Yes dear," Yugi responded immediately, before grinning widely.

"That's much better," Razz commented with a grin of her own, before turning her gaze back to the stage as they finished their gig for the evening and began to pack their instruments away, with the exception of the drum kit. "What exactly is this place?"

Shane had shared a long glance with Yugi, before grinning at her in awed amusement. "It's just a place where we all hang out and stuff. We mostly built it up ourselves so that's why it's all rustic like."

_Hmm_…ask a group of teenagers to volunteer to work together on a project that would give something back to their community, and the answer would generally be no…but, ask a group of teenagers to build something up from scratch so that they had a place to secretly drink and hangout with one another, and suddenly they were all _for_ getting involved for the common 'good' of their community. Razz regarded him for a second, before glancing at the bar, "And the liquor?"

"Helps Judy pay for her 'recreational' activities," Shane replied, before downing the rest of his beer.

Razz shot Yugi an inquiring look and he demonstrated a puffing motion. "Oh…" she said softly, before biting the side of her lip. It seemed that underage drinking wasn't the only illegal thing happening here.

"Let's go get a drink?" Yugi suggested suddenly, before hopping down from the crates.

Razz raised an eyebrow and stared down at him, "Uh…Yugi?"

Yugi smiled up at her, "Just a soda, I still have to drive remember." Yami's warning was still very clear in his younger twin's mind.

Razz smiled back and nodded her head, ignoring Yugi's offer to help her down and instead just got down by herself before waving Shane off. The boys regarded each other over Razz's reaction to Shane's presence for a second, before Yugi just shrugged and made his way over to her side.

Once at the bar however, things went from mildly awkward to worse, when everyone who was seated at it, turned and stared at him, the girls even gasping, and some of the guys almost fell off their stools. The bartender, Judy, who had been just about to serve one of the clumsy boys, was however the first to vocalise her thoughts. "Speak of the devil!" she bellowed excitedly, in a shrill voice, and Razz suddenly realized she was much younger than the age she looked.

"Hey everybody, Yugi's here!" one of the other girls called out to the dance floor, and cheers and whistles suddenly rang out all around them, mortifying Yugi, who tried to wave them all off, gesturing wildly for them to all stop and shut up.

A Goth girl squealed as she sprung up from her seat and wrapped her arms around him tightly, giving him a tight squeeze before bouncing back. "You're playing tonight right?" she asked, her entire being, seeming to vibrate with energy.

"N-no, Eve, I'm not," Yugi informed her, before stepping out her hugging range. "I just brought a friend of mine over to see a band play live…this is Razz," he introduced her with a small gesture.

Eve regarded Razz, with a small friendly smile, "Hi Razz, I'm Eve."

Her bubbly personality was too hard to resist and despite Razz's general wariness and avoidance of strangers, she couldn't help but take to the strangely and dramatically dressed girl almost immediately. She politely bowed slightly in greeting to Eve, "Hi."

Eve rushed over to her, and took her by her hands, before pulling her over to the bar, where a guy especially moved off a stool for her to take a seat. Razz looked over at him in surprise, before quickly coming to her senses as Eve gently pushed her down onto it. "Uh…thanks."

Judy quickly handed one of her customer's their drink before gliding over to them, and first smiled at Yugi, before giving Razz a welcoming smile too. "What can I get you two?"

"Just a soda for me, thanks," Razz responded a little warily, wondering what the hell was going on, and why Yugi was such a celebrity here.

"Me too, thanks," Yugi also ordered.

Judy gave Yugi a mildly incredulous look, "Since when?" Yugi inconspicuously pointed at Razz behind her back, and Judy smirked in understanding. "Two sodas, coming right up."

"So Yugi," the Goth girl named Eve began, as she took her seat beside Razz, "Are you seriously not going to go up?"

"For what?" Razz broke in before Yugi could reply, her curiosity suddenly reaching its peak.

Eve's eyes widened in disbelief, "To play the guitar of course!"

Razz frowned, "The guitar?"

"Uh-" Yugi tried to cut in, but Eve quickly broke in.

"Yeah, he's amazing! Not a rock god yet, but he's getting there."

Razz glanced over to Yugi and gave him a questioning look, "You play?"

"Well…yeah, but not nearly as good as they're making me out to be," he answered hesitantly.

Razz grinned before regarding Eve, "Is that why he's such a celebrity down here?"

Yugi's eyes widened in dread_. _

Eve immediately shook her head, "Well yeah, I mean, we know him because he's majorly talented – don't let him trick you into believing otherwise – but his famous because-"

"Uh Eve, let's not tell Razz why I'm famous round here," Yugi instructed her, just as Judy returned with their cold sodas.

"Here you go guys, drinks on the house," she announced as she slid the cans across the table to them.

"Free drinks?" Razz inquired, shooting the trio a suspicious glance, "Now I've got to know."

Judy cocked an eyebrow, "Know what babe?"

Eve plopped both elbows on the table and rested her chin on her closed fists, "She wants to know why Yugi's so popular, but he doesn't want us to tell her."

"Come on girls, give me a break here!" Yugi whined. "She already has a low opinion of me; let's not prove her actually right!"

Both Judy and Eve laughed, whereas Razz gave him a hard stare. "Is there something I should know?"

Yugi met her gaze with a sheepish one, "_Probably_, but I'd rather you didn't."

As though for once, the gods had actually felt like showing him mercy, the spotlights zoned in on a single figure that had just walked onto the stage with an electric guitar in his hand. Razz noticed that he was as tall as Shane, with light blonde hair that seemed golden in the light, and a rather boyish cute face…this had to be the 'Michael' he had been referring to. Eve's focus immediately seemed to centre on him, and if Razz didn't know any better, she'd have sworn Eve no longer realized she was in a room filled with other people, totally awestruck in love.

Just before Michael started playing however, he glanced in Yugi's direction and smirked evilly, before leaning to say something in to the microphone. "Hey Yugi, how about an epic rock battle?" he challenged publicly, before addressing his audience, "Or is he too chicken to go up against real competition this time?"

There was a loud cheering from the crowd, and Yugi felt like sinking into a dark hole. He didn't feel like this right now. There were murmurs of his name been chanted lowly under the crowd's heavy breaths, and Yugi could sense the anticipation build up within them. Why had he thought bringing Razz here was a good idea?

"Go up and show me what you've got Yugi," Razz encouraged through an evil smirk of her own.

"U-uh, I…" Yugi faltered, staring at her with wide eyes, like a rabbit caught in a truck's headlights.

"What's wrong?" Razz smirked, "Are you going to back down because you're a little stage fright?"

"Yeah Yugi go up!" Eve ordered him with cheerful enthusiasm, but it fell on deaf ears, as his focus was only on Razz.

Yugi grinned back at her confidently, before taking a sip of his drink. "I never back down…and I never get stage fright. I'm just thinking about you."

Razz rolled her eyes, "I think I can fend for myself while you step up to meet your challenger."

Yugi placed his soda can back onto the counter and stood up, his still holding her gaze, "I'm not concerned about that, it's just that you might actually _fall for me _when I win."

Razz raised both her eyebrows before retorting, "I don't know about that Yugi…that blonde guy is pretty hot and looks like he knows how to use that guitar of his."

Yugi raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Michael who was grinning back at him from the top of the stage across the room, and then turned to look back at Razz. "Better start eating your words," he winked at her, before jogging across the room to meet up with the other musician on the stage, as the room erupted into applauses and cheers.

Razz clapped along with the rest of them, her dark eyes following Yugi's form, taking in his broad shoulders with crushable interest. "He's so hot, isn't he?" Eve suddenly asked her, as she scooted over and sat closer to Razz.

Razz felt a light blush burn on her cheeks, but shook off the idea that Yugi was even likeable in that way to her. "Hardly, he's immature and annoying."

Eve frowned slightly, before glancing over to her, "I was talking about Michael, the blonde guy standing next to him…"

"O-oh…uh, not my type," Razz quickly answered before taking a long sip of her soda, ignoring Eve's questioning gaze, before she eventually returned it to the pair on the stage, as someone handed Yugi another guitar, while they shot each other amused looks and chatted about something that was inaudible to the rest of them. She noticed that several girls were also eyeing him hungrily from the dance floor below the stage, and wondered about the strange emotion that she felt towards them, before looking back up at him, and suddenly understood what they were seeing.

Even though Yugi was much shorter than Michael, there was something much more powerful about him beneath the spotlights, in which he evidently held a lot of dark appeal and attraction that was almost hypnotising. It was like seeing him for the first time, in literally a whole new light, as his muscular figure was placed on display for all to see and drool over. His skin seemed paler, but absolutely moonstone flawless, and the _dangerous_, studded, black leather he wore contrasted his look brilliantly…but his eyes were the real attracting feature at play, as they glowed the brightest, beneath the lights.

Razz felt the slight churn of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she continued to stare at him, and felt with some tinge of satisfaction that it was her on a date with him that evening, and not the other girls, who looked like they wished they could be…though she would never vocalise it or even admit it to herself.

The boys grinned at each other, before Michael took the stage and began playing something that started out soft and grew into a slightly more, energetic paced melody, while Yugi watched him with an admiring raised eyebrow. Michael crammed in a few more good notes, before ending off with a wowing effect on his guitar, and gave Yugi a challenging smirk, while the crowd cheered, and Razz couldn't help but think that it was going to be tough to beat.

"Is that all you got Glass?" Yugi called him out through a smirk, before positioning his guitar comfortably, while the crowd began to cheer for him. "Take this then!" He followed Michael's lead and took the same tune he had played before, but modified it into a faster upbeat tune with several sharper notes that had the audience roaring in approval. Razz on the other hand sat watching him with a wide, surprised grin on her face. So Yugi really could play the guitar, why hadn't he mentioned it before when they were bringing up their special talents?

He ended off with a similar wowing factor on his guitar, which almost seemed to be a way to mock Michael, as the crowd cheered even louder, and the blonde just grinned and shook his head. "That was just the warm up dude, here's the real thing!" He skilfully ran his guitar pick over a series of complicated cords, which produced an incredibly heavy paced song that lacked fault and ultimately won the audience over again.

Yugi shook his head and stepped up yet again to meet the challenge, "Alright Glass…_eat this_." His gaze briefly met up with Razz's, before he turned his concentration back onto his borrowed guitar. At first he started out slowly with an attractive tune that was highly infectious, before building momentum quickly and before long he had outdone Michael by making the guitar roar for it's life on several of the almost impossible to play notes, and even Razz stood up from her stool to cheer for him when he ended, her entire being reeling at the shock of how brilliant Yugi actually was at playing guitar. He turned and regarded the audience with a smug look before bowing to them humbly and kidnapped the mike from Michael, before speaking into it. "That by the way was for a girl I was trying to impress, and if she isn't too stage fright…" he met Razz's gaze evilly, "I'd like her, to come up here and tell me what she thought of my performance."

It seemed as though everyone had turned around to look at her expectantly while still applauding for Yugi, and she felt Eve take her by the elbow. "Come on!" Eve yelled out over the roar, and began to pull Razz forward, who was extremely reluctant to follow.

_Shit_, she hated Yugi now more than ever, and the very second they were alone she was going to kill him. She growled her displeasure under her breath as Eve led her up to the stage, feeling hundreds of different gazes focusing in on her, and hated it, she hated been noticed, it was against her very nature to stand out. Yugi was so dead!

She was too focussed on the ways that she planned to make him pay, that she hardly noticed they had come up to the side of the stage, until a hand suddenly appeared in front of her and she looked up to see that it was Yugi who was extending it to her, offering her a genuine, encouraging smile that she would never have imagined anyone refusing. In spite of herself, she felt her lips curl into one too, as she took his hand, and he helped her onto the stage, before showing her off to everyone, _never letting her hand go_. "So 'girl that I've been trying to impress' were you…" he glanced over to her and lightly squeezed her hand, "Impressed?" He held the mike a little way away from her lips, and grinned. Razz shot him a hard side glance that seemed to promise pain later on, before confidently snatching the mike out of his hand and addressed the crowd with the same cocky attitude he had.

"Well Yugi…all I've got to say," She turned slightly and gave him an evil smirk, "-is what's impressive about rocking the stage with a guitar, if you don't have the vocals to back up its tune?"

The crowd erupted into cheers and Yugi faltered for a second as he regarded her. _Damn she was good_!

He shook his head in defeat and took the mike back from her as she cruelly held it out to him, and went back to addressing the crowd before turning to Michael. "Mickey…I'm handing this one over to you."

Michael quickly snatched the mike out from Yugi's hand and turned to their audience, "I've just got one thing to say to my opponent," he said, before giving Yugi an amused look, "Eat this!"

Yugi rolled his eyes when Michael began playing a love song he had composed himself, which was once again upbeat and contagious, and had the floor dancing and cheering within seconds, but it wasn't just his playing that had everyone cheering…it was his amazing, _super-rock star voice_, one that Yugi wasn't even going to try and go up against. Instead however, he just smirked at Razz, who for the first time that night seemed to be enjoying herself as she clapped in time with the song's beat, grinning at Yugi when she noticed he was looking at her. Suddenly others joined the stage as if on cue and a lively drum beat, as well as the bass guitar and keyboard's musical input were added to Michael's amazing song. Yugi could already feel his short lived victory cram back down his throat and shook his head in good humour, as he joined in with everyone else as they enjoyed the song.

"Yugi!" Eve called excitedly over the music at his side. "Stage dive!"

Yugi glanced at the excited crowd and nudged Razz's shoulder in time to get her to see Eve diving off the stage and swimming over the crowd to the very back of the dance floor. "Do you want to try?" he called over the loudness of the music.

Razz seemed horrified by the very idea of even trying and glanced at him with clear reluctance. "Are you kidding me?"

"You won't regret it, just trust me!" he assured her before taking her by the hand and leading her over to the edge of the stage, which she was slightly reluctant to allow. "When I say jump, just jump okay?"

She looked at the overly excited crowd, before hesitantly nodding her understanding to Yugi and inadvertently held onto his hand tighter, while he turned to regard Michael for a second, before flipping him off and shouted out to her, "Jump!"

The moment she felt her feet leave the stage, Razz was sure she going to fall face forward to the hard ground of the dance floor, but hands eagerly went up to catch her, and she felt herself been lifted and carried across the bouncing crowd as though she were floating on a weird wave that kept tossing and turning in all directions. Yugi never let go of her hand as he too drifted along somewhat ahead of her, cheering loudly.

Razz giggled and began to cheer too just as their short journey to the end of the dance floor came to an end, and Yugi hopped to the floor before catching her bridal style, and shook his hair out. "How was it?" he asked her, while manoeuvring around the other dancers, still holding her securely in his arms, where she grudgingly felt safe and completely weightless in, until he found an empty undisturbed spot to put her back down onto her feet again.

Razz breathed in and out for a moment as she collected her thoughts and put them back into order, and cried out, "That was awesome!" _Yugi was awesome_…and he smelt so good.

In his side vision he realized that the audience was starting to get a little too excited, and that it was probably best to get Razz out before things started getting rough. "Let's bail before the fights start!"

Razz nodded and allowed him to guide her back out again, passing by several admiring onlookers, including girls who seemed to be almost drooling after him, one actually running up to him and sticking a pair of panties into his jacket's pocket, until Yugi eventually shoved open the big metal doors and gently tugged Razz through them, both gasping as a wave of cool fresh air washed over them. It was hard to believe how hot and stuffy it had actually been in there, or how loud the music was, when the silence of the night seemed almost deafening. Razz breathed in deeply, before looking up at the cloudless night sky and exhaled; for the first time in a long, _long time_, feeling happy after doing something fun.

"So," Yugi began as he put his hands into his pockets and turned to regard her. "Which do you prefer, watching bands play live or on TV?"

"Live!" Razz responded enthusiastically, "That was an amazing experience! I loved it!"

Yugi grinned at her, finding this warm and fun side of her kind of cute, before pretending to be slightly breathless and rested his hands on his knees, bent down slightly. "I'm glad, because showing off, takes a lot out of a person! And I totally got creamed in that last round!"

Razz laughed, "Yeah you totally got your ass kicked!"

Yugi joined in her laughter, before straightening up. "Hey, look, walking away and letting Bieber's wannabe win, shows character you know!" he joked. "That should count for something!"

"Oh, you let him win, huh?" Razz quipped, before nudging her hip against his playfully.

"No, I just said that walking away and letting him win, shows character," Yugi retorted, before tickling her side, which made her shriek playfully as she jumped away from him.

"By the way," she inquired curiously, as she casually made her way back to him, "What exactly did you do to become so famous around here?"

Yugi grinned at her deciding that there was probably no harm in telling her, before rolling his eyes. "I stole a cop car."

Razz was mortified, "You did what?"

Yugi grinned at her sheepishly, "…the cops were going to raid the place, so to distract them I hijacked one of their cars the second they left the vehicle and turned the sirens on, first to alert everyone inside, and second to alert the cops that I had hijacked it. _Uh_, as you can imagine they quickly forgot about the shack and chased me instead. That gave everyone inside the time they needed to get rid of everything illegal, so when it was checked out later they didn't have anything to arrest anyone for, and because this whole place is on private property the cops need a warrant to inspect it next time."

"Yugi are you crazy?" Razz gasped.

"Most will tell you that I am," Yugi grinned at her.

"What happened with the chase?"

"Oh…well, I actually drove circles around them, and really pissed them off, but they never caught me," Yugi stated before shrugging and kicking a pebble out the way.

Razz couldn't believe what he was telling her, and watched his eyes suspiciously for any trace of a lie, which never appeared. "What did you do with the car?"

Yugi bit the side of his lip, and thought for a moment, before nudging his chin in Yami's Ferrari's direction. Razz frowned at it, before giving Yugi a questioning look, as he made a step forward, toward it without saying anything further. She followed him and once again allowed him to open the door for her, before soundlessly getting in and watched as Yugi smoothed his chin over in thought as he made his way to the driver's side.

She watched him curiously as he turned on the ignition and backed up, careful to avoid the other cars which had copied his idea by parking on the grassy sides of the parking lot, and skilfully made his way out, driving very slowly as he took a new route that led down the hill side. "I got lost around here the first time I found this place, which was how I actually came across Morganville Falls in the first place," Yugi explained, seeming to randomly answer the first question Razz had, the moment he had driven her into it.

"Oh," Razz responded, not quite sure why he was telling her this now.

"The good thing about getting lost sometimes though, is that you sometimes find really cool hiding places," Yugi explained further as he drove along a new dirt road.

Razz tried to see where he was going, but it was too dark for to make out much besides anything that the car's headlights illuminated, until he eventually parked on the side, and turned the engine off. "Come on," he said softly as he opened his door, giving her a small grin.

She gave him a look, "Why are we here?"

"Just come on," Yugi ordered with a roll of his eyes as he hopped out the car and went to stand at the edge that overlooked the side of the road's steep drop.

Razz hesitantly unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way over to him to stand at his side, and looked down, before gasping when her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she caught sight of what was obviously a wrecked police car, lying on its back in a crumpled position. "Holy shit, you weren't actually kidding…your story is actually true!" she gasped.

Yugi sighed indifferently, "Yeah…"

"I can't believe you stole and wrecked a cop car, don't you have any limits?" Razz didn't know whether to be impressed or outright mortified by Yugi's criminal tendencies. This was way more serious than she had ever imagined him capable of doing.

Yugi shrugged, "Well…I'd never steal candy from a baby if that means anything?"

Razz regarded him for a long time, before rolling her eyes and strolling back to the car. Yugi grinned after her, before making his way over to the driver's seat. "What do you want to do next?"

She thought for a moment, before deciding that she wasn't ready to go back to her hotel just yet. "How about a nice, quiet walk?" she suggested, hardly needing anymore excitement.

"Like through a cemetery?" Yugi inquired with a wicked grin.

Razz's brows shot right up to her hairline, "Are you been serious?"

Yugi nodded, "You won't believe how fun it actually is. Maybe we'll even get to see a ghost."

"Yugi…_you're crazy_. And besides, they're closed at night anyway."

"So what, we'll just climb over the wall, it's no big deal," Yugi insisted, before igniting the engine.

"I am not going for a midnight stroll through a graveyard…Let's just walk through Domino Park," Razz demanded, before stubbornly folding her arms across her chest.

Yugi chuckled, "Okay, Domino Park it is then."

* * *

(Three years ago – after Yugi's transformation)

Yugi casually strutted into the dining area of the tomb, where Yami sat sulkily by an abandoned table, with a mood like a blackened thunder cloud that was about to strike lightening at any minute. He hadn't spoken to Yugi in weeks, and refused to even look at him whenever he made his presence known, which Yugi did often, but to no avail. He took in Yami's slumped demeanour, and rolled his eyes, before making his way over to the 'blood fountain' where he got himself a fresh drink, and then walked over to sit in front of Yami, bringing with him his new found cocky attitude that his older twin detested.

Yami didn't look up or even acknowledge his presence at all, and continued to stir his hot chocolate around in its mug, with an intense look of irritation burning in his crimson orbs. _Yami not drinking his chocolate_...? That was a really bad sign.

"Goooood evening brother," Yugi smirked as he flopped into his usual seat, before reclining back in to it and bringing both feet up onto the table with two loud thuds, before taking a sip of his bloody drink. "Did you _sleep_ well?"

Yami refused to answer him and continued to stir his hot drink, blatantly ignoring his annoying younger twin.

"I've heard a rumour that you took a girl to bed with you last night," Yugi tested him, with an amused smirk. "Was it Dendera?"

Yami still remained annoyingly silent, which came as quite an alarm, because in normal circumstances he would have reacted immediately upon the implication that he would ever willingly touch Dendera. Yugi took another sip of his drink before leaning forward slightly. "Did you enjoy 'making love' to her Yami?"

That got a slight bit of reaction out of him, as he paused in his stirring while blinking once in annoyance and taking a deep angry breath, but immediately continued after a few seconds, still without raising his gaze to meet Yugi's. Yugi rolled his eyes irritably before sliding his legs back down to the floor and slammed both his hands on the table's surface, startling several of the slave girls that were huddled up in the corners. "What the fuck is your problem?" he growled angrily, "Huh? Are you jealous? Is that what this is all about?"

Yami continued to ignore him, not reacting to Yugi's outburst in the slightest.

"Got nothing to say huh? You're pathetic!" Yugi swiped his arm across the table and smacked Yami's cup right off it, so that it hit the far side wall and exploded into a thousand pieces, while a startled yelp spilled out a slave's mouth, and she cowered behind her friends. Yami still held the spoon in his finger tips, and barely gave it a glance before dropping it to the surface, still refusing to meet Yugi's eyes, or voice his thoughts, and leant up onto his elbow while staring off into space.

Oh…so he wasn't going to react to a physical confrontation on himself huh…well perhaps he'd react better to plan B. Yugi smirked darkly before glancing over to the frightened slaves who were all huddled together, and beckoned one towards him, "You! Yes you, Blondie, come over here, and hurry up about it!"

A frightened, blonde slave rushed towards him with instinctive hesitation, biting her bottom lip while struggling to fight back tears. Yugi reached out and grabbed her around the wrist before roughly yanking her into him, and glared at Yami who seemed to want to look up at what he was doing, but couldn't. "What's your name?" he asked her in a mean, cheery way, before shaking her out of her stupor harshly, which caused her to cry out.

"I-i-it's…T-t-t-t," she stuttered, completely terrified of him, since she had seen him rip apart several slaves, right in front of her, before.

"Te-te-te, Te what for fucks sakes?" Yugi asked in a high pitched mocking voice, "I may be immortal but I do not have an eternity of patience!"

"It's Tiffany!" she squealed, before sobbing, and Yami's right hand automatically clenched into a tight fist.

"Well _Tiffany_, I think my brother needs a blowjob; you know what a blowjob is, don't you _Tiffany_?" Yugi bullied her, before giving her a harsh shake for an answer.

"Yes, yes I know what it is!" she sobbed, before shutting her eyes tightly in horror.

"Well that's very good _Tiffany_! Because Prince Atem needs to relax somehow…do you think you can help him with that?"

"Y-yes…yes I can, please don't hurt me again," Tiffany pleaded through a sob.

Yugi glared down at her, "I'm sorry; did you just tell me what to do _Tiffany_?"

"N-no-" she stuttered fearfully.

"Leave her alone," Yami ordered quietly in a stern voice, without lifting his gaze.

"Ha! I knew you wouldn't be able to remain silent for long," Yugi teased him.

"Leave…the girl…alone…" Yami warned, emphasising each syllable with a dangerous tone.

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to make me?"

Yami clenched his hand into a tighter fist, and Yugi could hear all the clicks and ticks of his knuckles locking into place. His whole body was tensed, and his awareness of his surroundings was edgy, clearly pumped up and ready for a fight.

Yugi smirked, before gentling his hold on her and smiled at Yami innocently, "Tell me brother…have you fed this evening?"

There was a brief flash of uncertainty in Yami's bright crimson gaze, and it seemed that Yugi may have struck an issue right on the head. 'Oh' he grinned silently to himself, as he contemplated the scenario. It must have been such torture to go on day in and day out, hearing the blood of the slaves rush through their veins and into their lively beating hearts, and have to refrain from indulging in its delicious taste. He remembered all too well of those hardships, and at times couldn't even fathom how he had managed to cope, before his transformation.

He roughly shoved the girl aside, and allowed her to scurry away like a frightened rat, before shoving both hands down on the table with a loud bang, and stared at Yami in the eye, before making a soft 'te-te' sound on his tongue. "That's not a good idea Yami…you know what's going to happen if you don't _feed_ soon."

Yami pushed his seat back and rose to his feet, clearly having had enough of Yugi's presence for the evening, and once again…he felt cut off from his older twin.

"Why don't you come hunting with me tonight?" Yugi called after his brother's retreating form, which didn't even bother to look back at him and retort some nasty insult at the mere suggestion, but instead blatantly ignored him once again, as though he hadn't heard a single word Yugi had said. 'Well now…that's just rude,' Yugi thought grumpily, never having liked been ignored in the past, by anyone, especially Yami. Why did everyone think he acted out the way he did? For fun, well yeah, but mostly to just get noticed every once in a while.

A small, scrawny male vampire, that made up his father's vast selection of 'pawns' approached him cockily, forgetting how dangerous Yugi had become, and overstepped a major boundary when he thought he could push past Yugi to make his way over to the blood fountain. The moment Yugi felt his personal space violated, he automatically declared the vampire exterminated, and after feeling the hard weighty shove from the said vampire, Yugi decided he would make his offender suffer greatly for it. In a movement, too fast to be seen, Yugi reached out and grabbed the vampire by the back of his neck and flung him down hard on his back, on the table's surface, before narrowing his scarlet gaze which had brightened somewhat incredibly into a death glare.

Suddenly the vampire's body began to convulse and jerk violently as though his body were on fire, before screaming in an extremely _unmanly_ way, which startled everyone, vampire and human, who witnessed his torture, in horror, from the sidelines. Yugi smirked evilly before reaching out and grabbing the silver spoon that Yami had left on the table and turned it over in his hold admiringly, with sadistic fascination, before turning his gaze back onto his squirming victim. "I was going to destroy you…" Yugi told him in a creepily sweet tone. "But now I've changed my mind…"

He twirled the spoon around in his fingers, enjoying the wary and frightened attention he was receiving from the small audience that had gathered around him. "After all, I'm a _nice _guy…so since you have a problem with seeing where you're going…" He placed the spoon gently in the vampire's hand, which he had to break open and force inside, before he clenched it closed again. "I want you…to 'scoop' both your eyes out."

Gasps and whimpers could be heard all around him, and Yugi found himself filled with egotistical pride. The vampire's eyes flew open in horror and fear, and Yugi took note of their dark, muddy colour with the slight feral glint that all vampires had, and realized that it would be no major loss if he lost them. He raised an eyebrow as the vamp tried to form words in his mouth, which was probably to say something along the lines of, "No, please, anything but that, I'm sorry I disrespected you your Highness, I shall never do it again…blah blah blah…" Yugi still didn't care. He was still pissed at Yami, and this guy was a fun distraction.

"I'll stop the pain," he offered sweetly, almost seeming like his old tainted innocent self, but his eyes were cruel and evil. "The spoon I gave you will make it easier…just scoop in, nice and deeply…and pop your eyeballs out." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Yugi narrowed his gaze further, and suddenly the vampire was clawing at his body and squealing in unbearable pain. "It's only going to get a lot worse…" Yugi warned with his expression evidently amused.

The vampire, finding no other option and desperate to stop the '_pain_' dragged his spoon-wielding hand jerkily up to his first eye. A slave girl cried out in terror and dived into the protective arms of one of the younger male slaves, who held her and comforted her before resting his forehead on the top of her head, unable to watch the scene unfold either. Yugi raised an eyebrow at this, before smirking deviously as he came up with several assumptions on his own, to this intimate behaviour, and thought of the many different ways he could tarnish their obvious romance, when an ungodly scream echoed through the tomb in a bloodcurdling way, that sent an excited chill up his spine.

It was just too bad that the stupid fool, wasn't smart enough to realize that the pain was all a suggestion in his mind, and all he had to do to break free of it was to simply…_stop thinking about it_.

Oh well…

* * *

(Present Day – Part three of First Date)

Razz rubbed her bare arms as she began to feel the slight chill in the air, and Yugi immediately removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. She looked at him in surprise, before noticing that he was now only wearing a short sleeved shirt, which showed off his muscular arms. "W-what about you?" she asked him in concern.

Yugi grinned, "I rarely ever feel the cold…especially with you glaring at me."

Razz rolled her eyes before trying to give him the jacket back, even though she really wanted to keep it, _and not only because it felt so warm_… "I don't need it."

Yugi rolled his eyes, refusing to take it back, "Are women always this stubborn?"

"We're not stubborn, we're just always right," Razz retorted, before grudgingly slipping into the jacket and inadvertently breathed in his delicious scent, which she was slowly becoming addicted to.

"So…if guys just admit you're always right…will that make all women happy?" Yugi asked curiously, as he tried to actually understand women.

"No," Razz answered immediately, without needing to think, "We like to be challenged."

"But…" Yugi began somewhat confused, "Okay…so if we always set out to prove you wrong, that'll make you happy?"

"No," Razz answered again, this time with a grin, "We want you to stand up and challenge us every now and again, but then admit defeat and just submit to our every will."

Yugi thought about this for a moment, before shaking his head in defeat, "I guess it's true what they advise; wives should love their husbands a little and understand them completely, whereas husbands should love their wives a lot and not try to understand them at all."

Razz giggled, before reaching into his jacket's pockets, and played with the Ferrari's keys, which he had placed in one. "Men aren't easy to figure out either."

Yugi grinned, "Is anyone, regardless of gender, easy to figure out?"

"Touché," Razz commented as she thought about it more, before finally shrugging it off and allowed her mind to wonder onto other things, such as how beautiful Domino Park was at night, as well as quiet, save for the crickets chirping in the background, and light whispering of the wind as it rustled through the leaves. "Yugi?" she began softly, which immediately caught his attention.

"Yeah?" he asked, as he fell into step with her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were so good at playing the guitar earlier?"

Yugi grinned sheepishly before biting his lip, and glanced away from her, unable to meet her eyes. "I don't really think I'm all that great at it…and besides, I hardly play it anymore anyway. It was just a hobby to pass the time back home, when things got bad, not exactly a passion."

"Well…what is your passion then?"

"Stirring up trouble, it seems," Yugi responded dryly through a smile, which lacked any trace of humour.

Razz rolled her eyes, "I'm been serious."

"I know… the truth is that I'm struggling to discover a passion for anything, because everything that I had once dreamed about, I lost in a second," Yugi explained emotionlessly, and Razz could tell that there was so much more that needed to be said.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

Yugi lowered his gaze to the ground and smiled bitterly, "So many things happened all at once, and I had to make a lot of important decisions fast, and all on my own, which required making some tough sacrifices, but…someone I cared about needed me to make them…and I'll never let those who I care about down, even now when I shouldn't feel anything at all." He paused for a moment as he thought of how to answer Razz's question, before softly continuing, "I've had very painful moments in my life, most of them that I don't want to ever relive or talk about, and I've made some stupid mistakes that I wish I could take back, but never will. So to answer your question as best I can, is to simply say that life threw me a few curveballs that I either had to catch or _jump in the way of_."

Razz took in all his sombre words, and knew better than to pry further into a topic that contained matters that he clearly wanted to remain private on, something that she understood better than anyone, since she herself enjoyed the comforts of privacy especially with own personal baggage. One thing that she did get about the strange boy, who had always up until now glowed with confidence and flaunted his laid back and careless attitude, was that he had had it hard at some point of his life, with what she wasn't completely sure of, as there were hundreds of different possibilities, but she could immediately identify with him, because she herself had gone through a similar development early in life as well.

"Well I guess then you do have a passion," she informed him gently, which startled his attention onto her. She held his scarlet gaze with her own, and smiled softly, "For those that you care about…_I like that_."

Yugi found himself grinning despite himself, before shrugging off the fact that they were getting a little too personal with each other, which wasn't supposed to happen. "Are you telling me that there is actually something that you like about me?"

Razz grinned before rolling her eyes, "Don't let it get to your head!" Why did he have to spoil the moment?

"Does that qualify for a yes?" Yugi teased.

"Keep asking me stupid questions and it'll qualify for a memorable ass kicking!" Razz threatened playfully as she began to take the lead ahead of him.

"Well in that case," Yugi smirked, "Why did the chicken…cross the road?"

"Oh gods," Razz muttered under her breath. "Do you really want me to beat the crap out of you?"

"I told you the day we first met, I like a girl that wants to get to know me inside out," Yugi winked. "So you tell me."

Razz sighed, what exactly was it that she had almost seen in him again? "I never pictured you as the type that enjoyed been dominated."

Yugi faltered, never having ever heard it been put quite like that before. "…I believe it's all about been _challenged_."

Razz snickered, "Good save."

"Thank you," Yugi quipped back, before glancing to the side where the park's fountain stood magnificently in the centre, sprouting silver threads of glistening water over a pair sculpted figures, caught for all eternity in a kiss that created the romantic scene of everything that the park was supposed to represent. Razz noticed it too, and began to make her way over to it, her eyes softening as she absorbed the message the fountain portrayed.

Yugi stood by her side, and placed a coin in her hand, which startled her back into reality as she immediately glanced at the cold item which had touched her skin. "Better make a wish."

She chuckled softly under her breath, "You really believe in stuff like that?"

"Well…" Yugi began, giving it some serious thought. "Either your wish will come true, because magic really exists in this world…or you're just paying the fountain a tip."

She giggled softly, before moving closer to the fountain's edge, and held the coin out while closing her eyes. For the simple, yet completely powerful moment that it took for Razz to lightly let the coin fall from her hand into the pond, Yugi couldn't take his eyes off her. His instincts, for some strange, unexpected and totally abnormal reason, almost spiked beyond his control, and he had to bite right through the bottom of his lip to generate enough pain to hold his focus steady, so that he didn't pounce on her at that moment. Maybe it was because she had her eyes closed and her back turned to him, which was usually the stance of prey…or maybe it was because his 'frustration' had reached its limit and decided to surprise him.

Or maybe it was because for the first time that night Razz had truly let her guard down around him and his subconscious had picked it up…

Either way, he forced himself to take a large step back, away from her, and ripped his gaze to the side, before grabbing onto the metal railing that ran along the circumference of the fountain, denting it between his fingers in a tight clasp. Losing control of his instincts wasn't an uncommon occurrence for him, and Yugi was well aware of all the times he had partly blacked out, before he knew how to gain a hold of them, and only came to when most of the damage was already done. The only thing that he found alarming at this particular time was how strong the sensation was. "Was I supposed to voice the wish out loud?" she asked as she watched the coin sink into dark depths of the blackened water below them, quickly losing sight of it.

Yugi was struggling to control his raspy breathing, and swallowed hard, before responding in a carefully controlled voice, "I think if you say your wish out loud it won't come true…at least that's what they say in the movies." He could hear her blood rushing through her veins, and the light, calm beating of her heart, as well as caught her sweetened scent in the breeze as it drifted past them, which almost seemed as though fate was intentionally tempting him, when it seemed to linger for an unnaturally long period of time, until it eventually moved off into the night.

Razz looked up at the love struck stone couple and smiled softly, before asking Yugi a highly unexpected question, which startled him back into focus. "Have you ever been in love Yugi?"

"In what?" Yugi gasped, as he turned to lean his back up against the railing while still holding onto it firmly at his sides.

Razz turned and looked at him, finding his strange behaviour only slightly _odd_. "Love?"

"Oh, you mean like when I saw a 1970 Dodge Challenger for the first time?" Yugi tried to joke, but faltered when Razz shot him a hard glare.

"Oh…" he gulped uncomfortably. "_Right_…love…um…love…that um…_feeling_ thing…" He risked releasing a hand from the railing, and felt little flakes of metal stick to the palm of his hand, before scratching the side of his face. "No…no I've never, been in love." Razz raised an eyebrow at his awkward response, and he just grinned at her in response. "Why do you ask?"

Razz shrugged, before looking back at the fountain, "I guess I just wanted to know if you knew anything about what it felt like."

Yugi frowned, a little confused by her words, "What do you mean? What love feels like?"

"I've never been in love before either," Razz explained, before lowering her gaze. "And I'm not sure I ever want to be either."

This felt like a very 'chick' moment, one that Yugi had no place or any business in, especially with his insensitive attitude towards the very idea of _love_ and _romance_…but, he found himself getting involved anyway against his much better judgement. "I can't say from experience…but I've seen it," he began softly, which gained Razz's immediate attention. "And…I think it's the closest thing to _magic_ as humans will ever get. I mean, when just a mere feeling can inspire you to conquer everything that stands in your way for someone other than yourself, and go against every instinct in your body to protect someone else from harm, which should be impossible…that's kind of powerful. And as for what it feels like, I'm sure you'll know it when you feel it…"

Razz smiled at him softly. "Thanks for your honesty Yugi," she said lowly, before shoving her hands into the jacket's pockets as she absorbed what she had just learned about him. She realized that even though it was somewhat awkward and confused, Yugi did in fact have a sensitive side, even though he'd probably never touch that side of himself willingly with a five foot long stick, in absolute terror of it. It was enough however, to put him in a somewhat newer light for her. "Come on, let's keep walking."

Yugi observed her quietly for a moment, before slowly nodding his head and following close behind her, trying to think of anything to say. What the hell was he talking about love for earlier, it sounded so lame and stupid? Ra, what he'd give for Yami's mind reading ability to tell what she was thinking. Why couldn't he have just shut up?

This was not going like how he'd planned!

(An hour later)

They made it back to Razz's hotel from a short walk through the park, where Yami's Ferrari was again parked, and Yugi had a feeling that that was the end of the journey for him, but not because he felt that their first date was a total disaster, but rather that Razz was simply just not going to allow anything further to happen between them. She just didn't strike him as that type of girl. Of course though, the temptation of forcing her to want more was there… He could make Razz want him more than she wanted air and even make her beg him for it, but Yugi was strangely hesitant and respectful of her desires, wanting it to be of her own choice.

That did not mean however that he wasn't going to try…_he was still a guy after all_.

"Well look at that…I got you back to your hotel at a," he glanced at the clock on his cellphone, "…_hardly_, reasonable time. All in one piece, safe and sound, with newly acquired tastes and even a few life accomplishments, and you even learnt a few new things…I think our first date went rather well."

Razz chuckled lightly as she kicked a small pebble out the way, "Yeah…I got to admit, it wasn't a total disaster like I had originally thought it would be. I actually had a really good time."

Yugi beamed brightly, cheering mentally as he imagined himself doing a small victory dance. "See? Maybe I'm not such a lost cause after all…"

Razz grinned back at him, before brushing a strand of her short black hair behind her ear. "Yeah…I guess you have _potential_." She quickly removed his jacket from her shoulders, and pulled the knife out from its hidden concealment at her side, and handed it to him with a grateful smile.

Okay…not exactly what he was hoping for.

"So…does that mean I stand a chance?" he asked optimistically, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Razz playfully tapped him on his shoulder with her right hand, before brushing off some imaginary dust and held him in place, giving him a playful, yet evil smirk. "Don't get me wrong Yugi, you know how to show a girl a good time…but, I walk alone. _No hard feelings_." She pulled away from him, and cheerfully waved him off before turning to leave when Yugi stopped her. He couldn't let her leave without telling her something first.

"Just for the record…you're still worth fighting for," he said, as a cocky grin spread across his lips. She didn't turn around to face him, not wanting him to see her shocked expression which she knew was evident on her face, as his words registered in her brain. "I just want you to know that, before I walk out your life forever like I agreed to…thanks for spending the evening with me, it was one of the best nights of my life." He stepped back while still watching her form, and knew his words were having an effect on her as he took in the stiffness of her shoulders and the rapid beating of her heart. "Goodnight Razz. I hope your wish comes true."

Razz came out of her stupor with a start, as she spun around to regard Yugi's leaving form and quickly called out to him. "Yugi?" In all honesty she didn't want it to end.

Yugi stopped in his tracks and looked back at her over his shoulder with a slightly confused expression, and raised a questioning eyebrow.

Razz opened her mouth, and then closed it, before opening it again. "I-I…" she swallowed before lowering her gaze, and then met up with his again, before giving him a small smile, "Don't be a stranger okay…"

Score!

Yugi nodded once before saluting her off, and winking. "See you soon then."

Razz smirked back at him, "Night."

And with that, came the end of Yugi's first date.

* * *

Okay…technically, nobody could judge him, as Yugi, in a state of desperate and somewhat uncontrollable _need_ drove around the entire of Domino City, looking for a strip joint…which he could not find! 'How the hell, does a city function without a genuine strip joint?' Yugi's brain growled, and his fingers automatically tightened around the steering wheel. Domino City seemed to have got its power back, as large signs were illuminated all over the place, but none with any kinky headings that even closely resembled a sign that Yugi was looking for. This wasn't even about Razz anymore, everything was fine when they parted ways; he had his instincts completely under control…_until he started thinking_.

Thinking, contrary to popular belief…was really, really bad, and if helped, avoided at all costs, because one little innocent thought, could lead to another less innocent little thought…and so on, until the mind picks up on a poisonous thought that contaminates every other thought that crosses the mind then soon after… which is exactly what happened to Yugi, when he innocently contemplated the fact that Razz had worn his jacket that he had just put back on himself, and then the wheels in his mind began churning and activated all his hormones, which of course…were the same as they had been when he was sixteen, only much more aggressive after his transformation.

And holy Ra were they been aggressive right now, after weeks of pent up sexual frustration, he felt like he was going to explode. He managed to unhook his clawed hand, somewhat slightly away from the steering wheel, before tapping on its leather surface impatiently, mentally cursing on each tap in every language he knew, trying to occupy his dirty mind on placing the words in alphabetical order, which was near to impossible.

Eventually he was too tensed to drive anymore, and stopped the car on the side of the road, which happened to be in the same neighbourhood that Yami had first laid eyes on Tea after taking out an entire gang. Breathing huskily, Yugi glared ahead of him, and observed what appeared to be an enormous house party that had somehow eventually extended to three others as well as onto the street, with people everywhere and some crappy urban music with violent lyrics playing loudly in the background. Just a quick glance at the style of these partiers, however, made him realize that his tight leather made him stand out a little too brilliantly, which was the last thing he wanted to do. In fact…Yugi wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

Before he was completely conscious of what he was doing however, he found himself leaning against the outside of the car, breathing in fresh air, which was filled with all sorts of interesting scents…including ones that almost made him gag. He held onto the car with one hand and used the other to rub his tightly shut eyes, feelings his fangs ache for release, and his body demand the exciting thrills of the hunt that he had denied himself for so long…and desperately fought for control.

Then, from out of nowhere it seemed, two girls showed up, and seemed to be just about to walk past him, when the one with the familiar bright shade of bubblegum pink hair, recognized him. "Holy crap, it's you! Yooo-yoh-yuh…mmmm…you're that guy from the beach!" _She still couldn't remember his name_.

Yugi widened his eyes slightly and inadvertently moved away from her in wariness, as bad memories of his last encounter with her returned to him, but she didn't seem to notice. She rushed at him, bringing her friend along with her and gestured wildly between him and her. "You didn't meet Shananay last time," she informed him as she introduced her friend…which Yugi couldn't help but notice something strangely familiar about, though he knew for a fact he had never come across her before, because she really stood out.

Her hair for one thing, was the brightest shade of red that he had ever seen, braided back in several neat and silky hanging threads, which flowed down to just below her rib cage, but her dark brown eyebrows told him a totally different story, and indicated that she was naturally a brunette. Then, there was her petite form, which was scantily dressed in tight fitting clothes, revealing a lot of tattooed flesh, and Yugi's personal favourite thing of interest, the shiny belly ring looped through her navel. It was her sapphire blue eyes however, that he had the most trouble with, because he was sure he'd seen them somewhere before. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she looked.

"You just going to stand there checking me out, or are you actually going to say something?" the new girl asked, the tone of her voice both threatening and flirtatious all at the same time…and her sounding flirtatious wasn't exactly doing Yugi any favours.

"Hi," he managed, before giving her a hot smirk, which he couldn't hold back. The girl raised a delicate eyebrow, and she regarded him with a slight bit more of an interest.

Shelby seemed to notice that he was giving her friend a bit more attention than what he was giving her, and quickly stepped in to divert his attention back to her. "Hey uh…my friend Serenity, told me what I did to you after the beach party…and I'm really, really sorry…I'm not usually like that," as she spoke, she cutely fluttered her eyelids in a flirtatious manner, which Yugi couldn't help but find kind of cute for the time being…plus the way she was posing, whether she was aware of it or not, was allowing him a really good look down her cleavage.

He was however, somewhat comforted by the fact that she was only tipsy, which he could tell by her ability to somewhat think with a sense of logic, and at least knew that she wasn't going to throw up on him again.

"No problem…just don't make a habit of it, and we'll call it square," he responded huskily, which was encouraging her more than anything else, to get closer to him. She giggled like a crushing schoolgirl, and swayed slightly on her heels, whereas her friend remained still and simply observed with an arched eyebrow, and seemed partly surprised when Shelby made a move on him by invading his personal space when she reached out and placed her hand on his clothed muscular chest, before lightly massaging it in small circular motions.

"Ooo…do you work out?" she gushed as she felt his muscles through the thin fabric of the shirt he wore. It seemed guys weren't the only ones who recycled corny pick up lines.

Yugi's lips curled into his trademark hot smirk that screamed both danger and excitement, and until he had met Razz, who remained the only exception, it had never failed him once into seducing a girl…which unfortunately for Shelby, was her downfall, as her heart fluttered in excitement. Oh yeah, _she was his for the night_.

'No Ra damn it!' Yugi mentally cursed as he swallowed hard and tried to keep his eyes off her. He couldn't do this…it didn't feel right anymore. But oh Ra was it beginning to hurt…especially when Shelby was making it worse by continuing with her suggestive motions.

She turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder at Shananay, who got the hint immediately. She raised her gaze to Yugi's and smiled sheepishly, before nodding once and pulled her shoulder's back as she stepped forward to leave, "Uh…see ya." For a small girl on such short legs, she was really fast, and before Yugi even had time to respond, she was already gone, leaving him and 'Pinkie' all alone…

Even her walk seemed familiar.

Yugi's eyes closed into a tight cringe, as he gulped a large bubble of air down his throat, and leaned further back against the car.

"So…" she purred softly as a wickedly sinister smirk spread over her lips, "We're all alone now…"

'No shit?' Yugi thought sarcastically as his sinful nature began to play with his thoughts and body. "Yeah…_are you scared_?"

There was a brief flash of confusion in the hot gaze she was giving him, "Scared of what _honey_?"

Yugi smirked down at her, darkly, "Been all alone with a really, really _dangerous_ guy?"

The confusion in her gaze quickly vanished, and was immediately replaced by lustful excitement, "I really like danger."

Well…she was kind of encouraging him now, wasn't she? Yugi reached up and clasped his hands around her wrists before pulling her into him and spun them around so that he had her pinned on her back against the side of the car, smirking down at her with evil enjoyment. She seemed startled at first, not having expected the action, but after she had time to accumulate her thoughts and evaluate the situation, she found herself grinning up at him sexily, before slowly puffing out her chest and then rested it back into place. "Still liking danger?" Yugi teased, before slowly moving his knee in between her legs.

Shelby breathed in sharply, before purring slightly under her breath. "Mmm…" she moaned lightly as she awkwardly grinded herself against him, before voicing her thoughts, "I'm liking it a lot!"

Yugi pressed his hard, muscular body up against hers, and felt his bulged member connect with her inner thigh, which sent electric chills rush through his being, powerfully. He could not wait to get inside her. She tried to pull her arms free, but Yugi still had them captured in a tight grasp and held solidly at her sides, so she bucked her hips instead which forced Yugi's hardened 'friend' further into her thigh, creating a delightful sensation that made Yugi growl.

He felt his fangs slowly make their way downward, as their familiar pain-pleasure singe struck his consciousness, and influenced his actions. He bent downward, briefly brushing his cheek against hers as he drew his lips down to her neck and lightly dragged them along its silky surface, eventually giving it a light nip, accidentally using too much pressure on the right fang, which resulted in it breaking through skin, though it was light enough that Shelby hardly noticed, and she continued to mewl in desire, while squirming beneath him. Yugi on the other hand was startled to discover how pure her blood tasted…

He gasped, before choking on his shock, as he licked a drop of her blood off his lips, and gulped. "S-say…uh…" he gulped again, as he tried to regain his focus and control of himself again, "H-how f-far have you gone…with a guy, before?"

Shelby's body tensed slightly and Yugi caught the quick lip bite that she snuck in, before she tried to feign confidence. "Does it matter _hot stuff_?"

Yugi blinked his gaze into clear focus, before lowering it to look into hers, "Yeah it does." When she shot him a brief questioning look, he decided to clarify, "I get rough."

Her eyes widened slightly in what almost looked to Yugi like perhaps fear, but she seemed to quickly manage to replace the look with a seductive, sexy look that Yugi could immediately see through all of a sudden, as the innocence in her eyes cruelly betrayed her, and he wondered how he had ever missed it. "You'd be my first…but don't worry, I can take it."

What were the fucking odds of that?

Yugi breathed in deeply as he contemplated all this. Sure, his body was screaming and cursing in every language a body could, for any release it could get…_but_…he mentally shook off the hesitating 'but' and growled. This girl was offering herself to him on her own freewill; in fact she was the one who had started it. It wasn't like he had compelled her into it…

But then, why did he feel so crappy about it?

As he thought about his feelings on the subject, Shelby had decided to take matters into her own hands, and had managed to sneak her hands in under his shirt, and felt her way up his toned stomach, lightly gasping in awe as she dug her fingers into him. The sensation was incredible, and any thought he may have had before about simply ditching her and finding a more, experienced girl, flew out the window. Fuck chivalry, getting laid was way more important. "I'll try being gentle," he whispered huskily in her ear, which sent chills through her body and she automatically clutched some of his fleshy muscle into her hands, digging her nails into his skin.

"That's a laugh," a bitter sounding, yet horribly familiar voice, called out from beside them, and both vampire and virgin girl, were startled out of their lustful haze, and turned their gazes to the side where Lamia stood, glaring at them.

How did she always manage to find him? Yugi wanted to kill her. "Did you say something?" he growled irritably, especially since she was the very last person he wanted to see that night, yet alone be interrupted by her.

"Taking advantage of a girl in a parking lot? And here I thought you at least had some class," Lamia practically spat, before glowering at Shelby. "You should have a little bit more pride, you're only a virgin once, and you're going to lose it to him on the sidewalk, listening to that-" she gestured to the boom box on the side of one of the house's with evident disgust on her face, "And after tonight, you'll probably never even see him again-"

"That's enough 'Snowy,' get the fuck out of here," Yugi growled warningly, his gaze seeming to have a startling resemblance to burning coals.

Lamia narrowed her gaze at his cussing and calling her by her fake pet name, "Is that anyway to talk to a girl?"

"Sorry, I didn't know I was talking to one," Yugi retorted sarcastically through an angry growl.

Lamia smirked without humour, "Doesn't surprise me, you've probably never been with one."

Oh this bitch was asking for it. However, Shelby decided then, to pipe in. "Well he will be with one tonight…" she looked up at Yugi and smirked at him invitingly. "I'm all girl _hot stuff_…but if you like you can help me turn into a woman by the end of the night," she whispered the last part, and that sent Yugi's hormones racing even faster.

Lamia ground her teeth together and locked her jaw as she regarded the pair's compromising position, feeling anger boil from the pit of her stomach. "Isn't that just so romantic," she spat sarcastically, and Yugi was beginning to get fed up with her.

"Lamia, seriously, get lost!" he growled angrily.

Lamia smirked at his usage of her actual name for once as she realized that she was getting to him. "No…if you're going to do it out in public for everyone to see, then I'm just going to stand here and watch it too."

Wonderful, she was an undercover pervert on top of been an annoying, self-centred bitch.

"I live in that apartment building over there," Shelby informed him, as she pulled her body further into his. "No one else is home, so we'll have the entire place all to ourselves-"

"And of course all the roaches and rats too," Lamia commented dryly as she folded her arms across her chest and smiled innocently at them. "So much better," she added sarcastically.

Shelby turned and glared at Lamia, seeming also fed up with her negative commentary, "What the hell is your problem bitch?"

Lamia cocked an eyebrow and immediately unfolded her arms, "What did you just call me, Bitesize?"

Yugi sensed the danger immediately, and decided to end things before they spiralled out of control, though he could not believe he was actually going to play the responsible part…something was wrong with that picture. "Enough!" he growled loudly, before pulling away from Shelby and shot her a semi apologetic look when she stared up at him with large concerned eyes. "Um…she's right. Your first time shouldn't be like this." Inside…he was crying.

Shelby lowered her gaze in disappointment as her lips curled into a slight pout.

"S-sorry…I um…will see you around?" Damn this was awkward for him.

Shelby managed a small smile and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you will…maybe next time?"

Yugi was in mid nod when Lamia chipped in, "Don't get your hopes up kid."

Shelby glared at Lamia, seeming to want to say something, but either couldn't word it or decided against it. Either way, the pinked haired girl, spun around and stormed off into the night, huffing angrily, whereas Lamia hardly spared her a second glance and blew a white strand of hair out from her eyes. Yugi immediately rounded on her, "What the fuck was that all about?"

"You're language is getting worse, and worse by the day," Lamia commented dryly.

"You know what, screw my fucking language! Who the hell do you think you are, by just strutting over here like you own the whole Ra damn world and-"

"Who do I think I am?" she interrupted him sharply, before meeting his fiery gaze with her glowering one, "Who do you think you are?" She walked right up to him with her hands fisted tightly at her side. "You have some nerve to say that I walk around like I own the whole world, but you're way worse Yugi…you think you own everybody in it as well. Look at you, feeling up a girl in a parking next to the sidewalk, almost taking full advantage of her, for your own sick little needs, just a few minutes after going on a date with a completely different girl!"

Yugi faltered as he absorbed her words.

"You just play with girls like they're your toys, and once they break or you can't use them anymore, you just move on to another and forget all about them…you're pathetic," she spat before storming over to the passenger side of the car, and slipped in. "Let's just get this over with."

Yugi at first was frozen to the spot, momentarily unable to move as powerful emotions rattled his being. He was first and foremost extremely pissed off and wanted more than anything, to throw a vampiric tantrum to get his frustrations out…but clearly he was growing up. He resented the fact that Lamia was right, which outweighed his feelings of irritation and overall disappointment about getting so close to something he wanted…only to have it snagged away from him just as it brushed the tips of his fingers. And the only person he could really blame for that at the time was the one who had brought up his flaws in character…and hating Lamia was easier, than hating and dealing with himself.

He grudgingly swallowed the harsh words he wanted to say to her, and forced his tensed muscles to cooperate with him as he stalked off to the other side of the car, refusing to even glance at the white haired girl who sat in her seat glaring at him with piercing black coals. He decided as he ignited the engine that he would not speak to her, he would not look at her, and most importantly he'd kill her if she provoked him any further and use her head as a soccer ball…okay, maybe not a soccer ball, since he wasn't all that into sports.

For a while the pair just sat tensely in silence, Yugi in particular, whereas Lamia was slowly starting to relax again and started to twirl a long strand of her hair around her finger. "So, what are you doing tomorrow?" she asked him casually, as though everything was completely normal between them.

Yugi just ignored her, and locked his jaw.

"Have you got anything planned?" she tried again.

Yugi ground his teeth together in annoyance, first wondering if she was bipolar, and then wondered if she ever knew when to shut up, because in any minute he was going to 'plan' her murder. She slowly glanced over to him and took in his glowering expression before raising her eyebrows. "Did you hear what I said?"

Yugi took in a sharp breath as his jaw twitched.

Lamia blinked. "Do you want to go shopping?"

"Can you not just shut the fuck up for five minutes?" Yugi growled, his patience finally reaching its boiling point.

She angrily socked him in the shoulder, which caused him to temporarily swerve the car to the side into oncoming traffic, before he managed to gain his control over it again. "Ow…shit! What the hell Lamia, I'm driving?"

"Why does every second word that comes out of your mouth, have to be a curse word?" Lamia huffed.

"What is your problem with swearing to begin with?" Yugi spat back, as he struggled to swerve around the rest of the traffic and get back into a normal flowing pace with them.

"I'm Catholic!" she spat.

Yugi, who hadn't really been paying attention to her, just ignored her explanation without even registering her words, as he continued to drive down a busy road, and hummed a sort of response. 'Whatever.'

"You need to stop at the drug store," she informed him as they came to an 'all night' operating part of town.

"What for?" Yugi snapped.

"Because I said so," Lamia responded simply.

"And since when does that hold any significance for me?" Yugi muttered back dryly.

"Because I'm a girl," Lamia answered, as though that was the golden response that would answer all his questions to life, like the kind that generated a golden heavenly light from the sky.

"And I'm a guy, so what?" Yugi pointed out with a roll of his eyes. Females had another thing coming when they thought they could just push him around, just because they won the vote back in…1920 or something...that only proved they could nag the nation enough to assist in choosing a new president for Ra's sake, what was so hard about that? Just because they could fill out a card and dress the way they liked now, they carried the attitude that all men should be enslaved and bow to their every will. He wasn't going to be like Yami, with the whole 'yes dear thing.'

"Do you want to shop for Yami's girlfriend's unmentionable necessities then?" Lamia asked quietly as she examined her nails. "Mister Tough Guy?"

Yugi paused for a long while, before slowly shaking his head before clearing his throat uncomfortably, "I'll just pull up here then."

"You do that," Lamia encouraged as a small, inconspicuous, smug smile curled onto her lips. "By the way, I'll need your credit card."

How did he know she was going to say that…and how did he know she was going on a spending spree with it? He could just feel the money trembling out his bank account. He dug into his back pocket and just handed her the entire wallet, before waving her off in defeat. Lamia gave him an amused smirk before hopping out the car, "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Painkillers," he mumbled as he rested his head back against the headrest and shut his eyes. "And an icepack."

Lamia raised a delicate brow, "I see there's a clothes store open too; do you want me to get you some new shirts?"

"Lamia, we're not here on a shopping spree, just go in and get the things we came here for," Yugi muttered in annoyance. What was it with girls?

Lamia rolled her eyes, "I won't take long."

"That's what all girls say," Yugi retorted, "And I'm not up to waiting on you tonight in this _condition_, so just get Tea's stuff and yours if you want anything, and let's just get out of here."

"Well I need clothes…" Lamia really seemed to be either enjoying pissing him off, or trying to work him up.

"Tomorrow!" he sang-growled, drawing out on the 'o' sound for a long while before tightening his hold on the steering wheel in frustration.

Lamia snickered before shutting the door closed behind her, "Okay, it's a _date_!"

He hated her…he really, really hated her. However, it was only after five minutes that the word 'date' kept playing on his mind, when he realized how expensive that word was starting to become, and he had a feeling that shopping with Lamia, which he had somehow been sucked into against his will, was going to be an extremely costly experience…because girls didn't just shop, oh no. No, girls massacred sales like fashion ninjas, and could go on for days without eating or sleeping until they found what they were looking for, and dragged their reluctant others along with them into every store, where they'd try on fifty outfits that they didn't even like, but still wanted an opinion on – and still didn't trust the guy's answer anyway.

Life truly and unconditionally…sucked.

* * *

(Back to the annoying three years ago flashback)

It wasn't until several evenings later after that the mini confrontation in the dining hall, that the incident that really stripped them apart, took place…

Yugi had just returned an hour before dawn, smeared with someone else's blood and extremely giddy; laughing at everything he crossed paths with, as though he found it all to be a huge joke. There was nothing familiar about his laugh, which used to be filled with soul, but now sounded, mean and hurtful, and it grated on Yami's nerves, pushing him further into his dark depression.

At that time of the evening Yami usually retreated to his chamber and stayed behind a closed door, not wanting to come into contact with anyone and just be left alone…but on this particular _unfortunate_ night, there was a _spider_ in his room. The little, devious shit, had managed to crawl its way in through a tiny crack in his wall before Yami could find a way to coax it out, and there was no way in hell he was going to go to sleep without knowing where it was. So the only other option he had, was to stay up for just a little longer, to give it enough time to make its way out, or else he'd be forced to seal in it permanently…something, which he didn't want to do, because he didn't believe in the act of killing innocent creatures just because of his fear of them.

When he sensed Yugi's approach however, he decided to make his way back to his room, but his younger twin had other plans. "Yami!" he yelled out with darkly tainted enthusiasm. Yami ignored him without even turning to acknowledge that he had heard his name been called, and continued to walk down a long corridor to the sleeping quarter's section, passing several skittish slaves along the way.

There was a light, dry breeze against the bare skin of his shoulders and side of his neck and face, and suddenly Yugi was standing right in front of him, with wide, annoyed, yet slightly amused, scarlet eyes that were as bright and evil as ever. Yami was forced to stop in his tracks as he and his twin regarded each other, before a small smirk slowly spread across Yugi's lips, "…Hey."

Yami raised an eyebrow at the greeting, before making as if to sidestep around him, but Yugi moved in time to block him. He blinked in annoyance and took a deep composing breath, before trying to step around him on the other side, almost growling when Yugi once again stepped over to block his way. For a moment his younger twin seemed to be studying his eyes and demeanour, before giving a low, amused chuckle. "Still haven't fed yet?"

Yami refused to give away any of his feelings on the matter and lowered his gaze to the ground seeming _bored_. After Yugi's transformation, and him seeing his younger twin literally tear people apart with his own hands, or getting them to remove their own limbs themselves…Yami refused to even take a sip of blood. He'd rather die than turn into the same thing his brother had.

Yugi's mean expression softened slightly, as he extended his hand out to his older twin, "Come on; let's get you something to drink, yeah? It'll stop hurting."

Yami slapped Yugi's hand away harshly and glared at Yugi with menace, before stiffly shoving him out the way and stalked his way down the corridor without looking back, unfathomable dark rage that was beyond comprehension boiling in his gut. There were several vampires watching them from the side in eager anticipation, hungrily waiting for Yugi's violent retaliation, which he was well known amongst their kind for, and were eager to see the two young princes go at each other for blood.

Yugi didn't care much for their observers, as his angered gaze zoned in on Yami's leaving form, and ground his teeth together in annoyance. He felt an overwhelming spark of rage take control of his brain, and his instincts demanded that he attack Yami from behind and tear his throat out…but he held back, because a small part of him was still alive. "You know what…I don't blame you," he called after Yami, as a small, but cruel smile played on his lips, "Nothing is ever going to be able to compete with the blood, of that virgin snack, our father gifted me with…"

Yami's entire body froze, as anger rippled through him in dark electrifying waves. How dare Yugi even mention or even speak of _Jayne_, to him?

"You should have seen the way she looked at me…" Yugi continued to taunt him, smiling cruelly in satisfactory enjoyment, before giving in to a dark laugh, "She thought I was _you_, you know." That made Yami's blood run cold, as he lifted his head and breathed in sharply, without turning to look at Yugi. "N-no please…please…" Yugi mocked in a high pitch voice, imitating what had been her whimpers, "A-Atem…it's me…it's me, Jayne…d-don't hurt me…please Atem…don't hurt me."

Yami closed his eyes in guilt and swallowed a painful lump in his throat. Surely Yugi was lying, surely Jayne would never believe that he'd actually hurt her, when he had promised her he never would.

"Too bad I was far too thirsty to care…and her saviour didn't run to her rescue to prove her otherwise. Don't worry though brother, I enjoyed devouring her screams _as I took her_, way more than her blood."

Yami rounded on Yugi and punched him as hard as he possibly could, which sent his younger twin flying into the wall on their side, and stood over his crumpled body, while training a murderous glare on him. Jayne was the closest thing to a girlfriend he had ever had, and if not, she had definitely been one of his closest friends. It turned out that his father had originally planned to use her as his virgin initiation gift if he had allowed himself to be turned, but when he didn't, it was decided that she couldn't go to waste. Yami had done everything in his power to try and save her, but Dendera had used some powerful herb concoction that drugged him into submission, and the last glimpse he ever got of her, was her been carried away from him, her eyes shut tightly in sleep…and up until now he had always hoped that she hadn't been awake to see it coming.

He hadn't seen her body, Dendera wouldn't allow him too, but he had read the minds of the slaves who had been involved with the clean up, and had a pretty clear idea of what Yugi had done to her…and it was beyond the sickest of imaginations. He had no way of knowing; how he could ever forgive Yugi for having done something like that to someone he cared so much about, especially when he wanted to brag about killing her to his face.

Yugi laughed delightfully, before using his thumb to wipe off a thin streak of blood off the side of his mouth. "Though I must admit," he added as he rose onto his haunches, not seeming to have even felt Yami's punch, "I prefer hearing Dendera's screams, especially when it's my name."

A strange look flashed in Yami's eyes, before he growled and lunged at Yugi, who skilfully dodged it and landed a punch on the side of his older twin's rib cage, causing an unearthly crack to thunder through the tomb, as he temporarily forgot his superhuman strength. Yami gasped and spluttered wetly for breath, as blood pooled down his side and puddle on the floor. Yugi, unaware of his brother's severe injury at first, grinned proudly at managing to immobilize his twin, before turning to look over his brother's crouching figure, almost tempted to land another blow on him.

Yami was panting heavily, feeling sweat thickly coat his forehead, as pain exploded from his side and hit his spinal area at an awkward angle, before gently clutching his side where he felt it hurt most and was horrified to discover something warm and wet pool through his fingers, amongst the shock of discovering something sharp and pointy sticking out his skin…a fractured rib…not good, he wouldn't be able to _defend_ himself properly.

Yugi looked Yami's figure over with a blank expression, before noting the bone that was protruding out his side, and bit the side of his inner lip in thought. "Oops…forgot how weak you are," he muttered with some amusement, before kneeling down and harshly pushing Yami's hand away to see the extent of the injury better. "Look's painful."

"Fu-fuck you!" Yami gasped out in between breaths. Yugi ignored him, and after giving his twin a simple shrug he reached out and grabbed hold of the bone's edge and ripped it out Yami's body completely, sending a mini shower of blood across the room, which splattered over the walls and floors. There was so much pain that Yami couldn't even begin to form a cry of any sort in his throat, and all that came out were hushed gulps and tiny blood specks from his throat. _The sick bastard!_

Yugi looked at the rib he was holding with a disgusted glance, almost as though he had accidentally touched a used condom, and shakily flung it across the room, before scanning the room and picking out the same slave girl he had been tormenting that entire week, after finding out she was sleeping with another slave. He rushed over and grabbed her, before dragging her unwilling body over to Yami, who was bleeding out to a point of death and struggling to control his urges. "I bet you're really hungry now, _right_?" he tormented his older twin spitefully.

Yami struggled to breathe and think, as the pain and blood began to awaken his vampiric instincts. "D-don't!" Yami ordered, as he began to hear her rapid heartbeat and delicious blood swim through her veins. "G-get her away from me!"

Yugi rolled his eyes and ignored him, before puncturing her neck with his fangs, drawing blood as she screamed in agony. He sucked on his tongue a bit, tasting her, before nodding his head in approval. "You'll like it, she's definitely part of the A group."

Yami crouched down further to the ground as he struggled against the welcoming waves of her delicious aroma, and his body responding to them. This was the worst thing Yugi could have ever done to him, knowing of Yami's struggle with bloodlust, which he had been battling with his whole half-human life. Yugi released his hold on her, as he pushed her forward with a swift but violent motion. Yami instinctively reacted to her sudden falling approach to him, and caught her a little clumsily, which forced their bodies together.

At first the pain of the action, distracted him from his senses, but the moment it subsided slightly, he was taken into full awareness of her body against his…her scent, her warmth…her taste. She whimpered in his hear, and he felt a certain wetness against his cheek, as tears ran from her eyes. "P-please…P-prince A-Atem…" she pleaded through her soft sobs, her fear of him, _tormenting_ his human half who at this point couldn't do anything to save her, and _exciting_ his vampire half. "D-don't hurt me."

Yami struggled for control over himself, but he couldn't resist the temptation of breathing in her scent along the sides of her bare neck, his fangs itching to plunger into her flesh.

"Please," she whimpered, before her breath hitched in her throat as he breathed across a sensitive spot on her neck, which was a fatal error on her part, as it spiked encouragement for Yami to bite. Unable to resist his body of her life essence any longer, Yami plunged his fangs deep into her neck, and tore her skin open, before gulping down her blood, which flooded down his throat eagerly.

She screamed in agony and terror, weakly trying to shove him off her as she realized that she was dying, and Yami clawed one of his hands away to wrap his hand around her mouth, silencing her temporarily, as his sensitive hearing could no longer stand the shrillness of it. Eventually, too absorbed in sating his long time unquenched thirst, he hardly noticed when her hands dropped limply to her sides, and her heartbeat was on the verge of stopping its lifelong marathon, greedily drinking every drop her body had.

Yugi realized how far his brother was going and gingerly cut in. "Alright, I think that's enough," he mumbled as he reached down and gripped the girl's slumped shoulders, giving her a light pull. Yami's wild gaze, whipped up onto Yugi, narrowed predatorily, before he growled warningly around the wound he'd made over her neck. "Let go," Yugi commanded, as he tugged on her body yet again, making a dangerous mistake.

Yami swallowed, while he stared at Yugi, his eyes seeming crazy and wild, and bright red, signs that Yugi was no longer facing half human Yami, but rather vampire Yami. And vampire Yami, unbeknownst to his younger twin as well as their surprised spectators, had no distinctions between his vampire brother and potential prey. He automatically released the soon to be, dead girl, from his arms, and lunged at Yugi, going for his neck. Yugi dodged Yami's attack, _surprised_, but his instincts kicked in before common sense could, and he retaliated violently by striking out in the same manner. Yami however, despite Yugi been fully transformed, was far stronger and had Yugi pinned in a matter of seconds.

The vampires around them began to panic, fully aware of their king's wrath if he discovered that they had allowed their prince to be killed by his brother, while standing by and watching. However, they also knew of Yami's vampiric state, which had resulted in many of their kind's demise when they stood in his way, and were afraid to approach him.

Yugi coughed and met Yami's gaze challengingly, trying to use his mind controlling ability on him, but found his powers to be severely blocked from Yami's mind. Upon the realisation of this, Yugi's expression faltered, as he realized something else as well…this was his brother!

Yami must have seen the vulnerable glimpse, because suddenly his eyes began to darken back to their semi-normal stage, and more of his human side, returned. He gulped and shook his hazy vision clear, before identifying the taste of blood on his lips, and spat it out disgustedly, trying to remember what happened, when his gaze fell on the pale, bluish body of the human girl, he had just _murdered_. His eyes widened in shock, and he felt his heartbeat quicken as regret and rage washed over him, before turning his gaze back onto his brother, giving him a murderous glare.

By that time, Yugi had managed to put an indifferent mask back onto his face, and didn't even flinch when he saw the look Yami was giving him, before he snarled, "You bastard!" Yami flung his own body backwards, while dragging Yugi up along with him, and leaped onto his feet, holding Yugi by the throat with one hand. This _thing_ wasn't his brother, Yugi would never have just stood by and watch him, yet alone encourage him to kill a defenceless human, especially if it was a girl. No, this thing was evil, and all it had was Yugi's face and body.

Yami briefly released his captive's throat, before moving both his hands up to clutch the sides of Yugi's head, and with fast motion, as well as a harsh crack, spun his younger twin's head right around to a 180 degree angle, breaking his neck cleanly from his spine, before allowing his body to drop into a useless heap below him, and kicking him in the stomach hard enough to send him right across the room, to where a group of vampire's stood, quivering in fright.

He felt a dark streak of hatred run through him, and glanced up at the vampires, deciding that they should be destroyed too, but before he could lunge at them, Seto appeared, his eyes wide as he took in the sight before him. At first, when a female vampire rushed to his chamber, barging in without bothering to knock, yelling unnecessarily that there was a fight going on in the tomb that needed his intervention, he had been extremely pissed off and cynical about what seemed to be an melodramatic reaction to what was probably just a stupid little scuffle over who'd get to keep one of the women that morning…which of course was far from the truth.

Atem, was out of control, and _wounded_, with glowing red eyes that looked drugged and animalistic. Yugi was completely immobilized, and looked deader than usual, and the vampires surrounding the scene were actually trembling. He wasn't at all bothered by the slaves, who were put on edge for things as simple as a sneeze, nor was he particularly interested in the one that was lying dead on the floor. He was however, bothered by the fact that his cousin was in war mode, and if he wasn't calmed down soon, there would be bloodshed up to biblical proportions.

"Atem…" he said in a stern and warning tone, which seemed to fall on deaf ears as his cousin took a menacing step towards the vampire that was nearest to him. Seto rolled his eyes, before using his telekinetic ability to pull Yami's legs out from under him, and drag him towards him, while he flailed around in resistance. Seto grabbed Yami by the back of his neck, and pulled him up into a standing position, keeping him at arms length. He glanced around him questioningly at the spectators who all nervously pointed the blame to Yugi, causing Seto to growl in annoyance. Of course Yugi was the instigator in all this, why did he even bother to ask.

"I'll kill you!" Yami growled through clenched teeth, and Seto could sense the dark aura of power, begin to form around his cousin.

"Don't care," Seto responded indifferently, before guiding Yami as gently as he could to his chamber, which he planned to lock him in, until he calmed down. He glanced at Yugi's mingled body before lifting his gaze to the vampire nearest to him, "Get Dendera." The vampire nodded and rushed past him at super speed to carry out his order, while Seto struggled with Yami's constant attempts at escaping his grip. Seto could sense his cousin was getting angrier and angrier, and realised that if he released his hold on his cousin for one second, he'd lash out at the first thing he could attack.

Just as they rounded the corner however, a vampire, who Seto had known personally, from his childhood, made the mistake of leaping out at them for some unknown, dumbass reason, which Yami's instincts naturally reacted to…but not in a way that any of them had ever imagined. Seto had always known this vampire to be a fool, and had always suspected that he was mentally impaired from his transformation, so he wasn't particularly upset by what had happened, but he was alarmed by it, when his cousin's gaze went from its dim ruby shade to a brighter glowing scarlet, and a rippling black, shadowy aura substance, lashed out at his offender. The vampire that had tried to ambush him froze on the spot with wide terrified eyes that went blank within seconds, and he dropped heavily to the ground, as black blood gushed out his nose, eyes and mouth, and black veins became visible beneath his chalky skin.

The entire tomb became deathly silent as they regarded their fallen comrade who lay unmoving on the ground, before Yami drained of energy, fell out of Seto's hold and passed out, never wanting to wake up ever again for as long as he lived. Seto on the other hand, felt like banging his head against the wall in frustration. There were about ten vampires who had witnessed this, and now he had to exterminate them all, before word about his cousin got out.

So much for his quiet evening…

* * *

She couldn't get him an icepack, or at least that's what she had told him when she returned to the car - thirty minutes later! – but, she managed to at least find him some aspirin, which was not going to help him much anyway. She did however, carry in two large, brown paper bags, filled with things that she didn't mention to Yugi, and he in turn didn't ask about. Getting some of Tea's things from her apartment however, took much longer, and Yugi eventually read a really girly magazine back to back while he waited in pain, on the couch in the living room, as Lamia casually strolled from the bedroom to the bathroom, collecting things, until eventually, just before Yugi's patience wore through, she walked up to him with two suitcases.

Now, as Yugi was on his way back to the mansion with a trunk load of female stuff in the back, he couldn't help but be glad that the night was finally over. Well…_almost_.

He pulled into the garage and remained sitting in the vehicle for several quiet minutes, while he thought back on the night's events, especially those that included Razz, and then allowed his mind to travel back further into the past. He was still deep in thought as he climbed up the stairway that led into the house, and first made his way into to the kitchen, where he snatched a bag of blood, as well as a mug to put it in, and found a box of Oreos along the way, before making his way to the main living room, where he was surprised to find a shirtless Yami, sitting all by himself, with his shoulders slumped in defeat and a depressed expression on his face. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed Yugi's presence as he stood beneath the archway entrance, staring at him in concern. Yugi would have thought that he'd be cuddling with his girlfriend upstairs.

"Hey…" Yugi began carefully, which startled Yami into reality, as he whipped his gaze over to his younger twin in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Yami blinked several times as though he were trying to figure out if Yugi was real or not, before forcing a small smile of reassurance, "Y-yeah."

Yugi narrowed his gaze, unimpressed. "Y-yeah," he mocked teasingly without humour, "-right. You can't lie to me brother, we're twins remember."

"You didn't have much trouble lying to me," Yami added softly, his voice seeming blank and emotionless.

"No, you just weren't paying enough attention," Yugi replied gently, not intending his words to be an attack of any kind, but Yami still seemed to take the hit.

He seemed motionless for a while, before a small bitter smile spread across his lips, "You're right, I wasn't."

Yugi made his way over to sit beside Yami, slowly, keeping a careful eye on his older twin as he took his seat. Yami lowered his gaze before shutting his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I think that's why it hurt so much…why I was so angry. I should have known what was going through your head, I should have at least seen what was coming…but it totally blindsided me, and I didn't know how to cope with the aftermath…because even though it felt like betrayal, I felt then and still do that somewhere along the line…I let you down Yugi."

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise, as he had never expected to hear that coming from Yami or even knew that that's how his older twin felt; he'd always assumed that Yami just hated what he'd become, and that was it.

"I was your big brother…it was my job to protect you," he explained softly, with his eyes still closed. "But I realized everything, _too late_."

"Yami…it wasn't your job to protect me," Yugi started quietly, "And it wasn't your job to always look out for me either."

Yami sighed before opening his eyes slowly, "Yugi, you didn't have anyone else to."

"Neither did you…" Yugi stated softly, as his eyes softened. "You were even more alone than I was. Nobody raised you Yami."

"I didn't need anyone to," he brushed off stubbornly.

Yugi now suddenly understood why Yami was so badly hurt by his transformation into a vampire with startling clarity, "And when I _died_…you felt like I had abandoned you."

"You didn't die!" Yami growled, before gulping like he was having trouble to breathe and turning away, unable to look at Yugi's wide-eyed gaze. "I'm sorry for saying that to you…you were never dead to me, even though I needed to think it to at least see past the fact that you had turned into…a monster. I realize that now…that a part of me could never bring myself to believe that I had truly lost you."

"Apology accepted," Yugi grinned lightly, before lowering his gaze to the ground. "I didn't want, or meant, to betray you…but I knew if I said anything, you'd stop me, and I couldn't let you." His words brought Yami's full attention on to him. "I…" Yugi slowly closed his eyes as he realized that he had to finally confess at least a piece of the past that Yami needed to know about, even though it was the hardest thing he was ever going to do. "I was _sick_ Yami…"

Yami frowned as eyes widened in shock, "What do you mean you were sick? Sick with what?"

Yugi smiled bitterly, "The fatal kind…"

Yami's entire face paled in horror, "W-what?"

"I was dying…"

Yami's breath hitched in his throat, "The fuck! Why the hell didn't you tell me Yugi, why?"

Yugi bit his lip, "I…I couldn't Yami."

"The fuck you couldn't," Yami growled angrily. "You could have told me anything Ra damn it! You didn't…you-" he roughly pulled at his blonde bangs and rubbed his eyes harshly as he tried to regain composure of himself and keep his voice down, as Tea was sleeping upstairs. "You didn't need to go through that all alone. I would have understood…"

Yugi watched as Yami breathed in and out deeply, and waited a few minutes for his brother to gather himself before he continued. "I'm better now…" he laughed softly, but it sounded more sad than funny.

It was on the tip of Yami's tongue to point out that he was actually dead, but he decided against it when he saw the human look in his brother's eyes…a brother that needed him to at least try to understand him. "I don't get it Yugi…when…how…?"

Yugi shook his head, "You would have noticed if I hung around you a lot…so I avoided you for a while, until I felt a little better, at least then I could act like things were normal, but sometimes you saw through me." What Yugi decided to conveniently leave out, was that he most often spent that time with Dendera, since she was the one who was nursing his condition at the time, and one of the only two other people who knew about it…which was how their kind of relationship started in the first place.

This made Yami, feel even worse than before, "So all those times I thought that there was something a bit off about your demeanour…and all those times that I just brushed it off because you didn't give me any reason to think that there was anything really serious going on..."

Yugi nodded his head solemnly.

Yami shut his eyes, "I…I should have-"

"There wasn't anything you could have done…and there's no point in obsessing over it anymore. What's done, is kind of going to stay done," Yugi lectured, lightly punching Yami in the shoulder to help snap him out of his defeated composure. "At least while I'm this kind of 'dead' I get to still annoy the hell out of you – from beyond the damn sarcophagus! Oooo-woooo!"

Although he couldn't quite find Yugi's light hearted attempt at lightening the mood, amusing, he still raised an eyebrow, and Yugi blinked. "Because you know…ghosts go 'ooooo-woooo-oooo'…and 'beyond the sarcophagus' is a parody of 'beyond the grave'…so…" he tried to explain, but Yami still had a blank look on his face. "Never mind."

"So…in the end, you chose to become a vampire to live?" Yami asked straight to the point.

"No…no Yami, it's not that simple. It's much bigger than that…there's so much more that I still have to tell you, but I need more time…I need you to give me more time," Yugi tried to voice what he needed to say in coherent words, but his mind was severely jumbled and confused as it always got when he had to think on these particular issues. "I can't ask you to forgive me, for what I did you, because I know that I've caused you a lot of pain and made your life a living hell…but I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what I've _taken_ away from you."

Yami frowned as he tried to understand what Yugi was telling him, and then tried to figure out what was been asked of him. 'More time for what?' until he eventually rested on his younger twin's apology, and decided that that was more important right now. "I forgive you Yugi…" he whispered softly, and it suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "But…I need more time too, to start trusting you again."

Yugi forced a smile and nodded his thanks, understanding why Yami felt the way he did, completely, as he had good reason for it, but was still slightly upset about it as anyone would be.

"And…I want to get to know you again…the new you. I'd be an idiot if I thought that things can go back to exactly as how they use to be between us…but as long as we go back to being brothers…that's all I want, because I've missed that," Yami added softly, his eyes downcast and thoughtful. This was probably the most vulnerable he had ever been in opening up to Yugi in their entire lives, which somewhat shocked the younger twin. He took in a deep breath, before walling his emotions back up to his invisible halfway mark, only showing a slight bit of vulnerability. "And when you're ready, we can talk about this again."

Yugi smiled softly at his older twin, "Thank you Yami."

"Don't mention it…I'm still going to fuck you up when my body's fully recovered, you dumb son of a bitch," Yami grumbled, seeming to return to his old self again, and even though Yugi shot his twin a highly unimpressed look…he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yeah, sure you will," he retorted sarcastically.

Yami flashed him a tight grin, before turning to massage his right shoulder as his entire body was beginning to ache under the stress of his earlier activity with Tea in the hot tub. Yugi on the other began pouring the blood from the bag into the mug and after he had managed that, opened the box of Oreos. The sound of rustling cardboard, brought Yami's attention back onto the scene that was playing out before him, and he raised an eyebrow in question as he watched Yugi take on of the dark chocolate treats out from the box and dunk it into the blood.

"What in the name of the sun god Ra are you doing?" he asked, mortified at the combination.

"Dunking an Oreo…" Yugi explained simply as though it were the most natural thing in the world…to dip it in blood!

What was wrong with him?

He waited a few seconds to soak it through, before slowly lifting it up to his lips and took a shallow bite of it, whereas Yami cringed slightly in disgust. For a human, this would be downright disgusting for obvious reasons that were natural to them…but to half vampire Yami, this was the equivalent of peanut butter been mixed with mustard over a sandwich. "I dare you to try one," Yugi mused as he took another bite. "Trust me, it's good."

Yami looked at the Oreos and then at the blood, thinking that Yugi was crazy, but also knew that in the past they shared more or less the exact same tastes in food. Hesitantly, he picked one up and dunked it lightly in the thickened crimson liquid, before slowly bringing it to his lips, as though it would bite him any second, and gingerly bit into it. He gave it a moment to swirl around his taste buds, and found it to be…

"Hmm…not bad actually," he commented as he dunked it in again and took another bite.

"See? What did I tell you?" Yugi responded, as he had another one. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened before I arrived, or what?"

Yami sighed deeply, before lowering his eyes to the floor.

"Did you and Tea get into a fight or something?"

"N-no, nothing like that," Yami said in response, before lifting his gaze slightly. "We were…"

"Enjoying adult happy time?" Yugi suggested in a teasing tone, with a slight smirk on his lips.

Yami blinked, before a small guilty smile spread across his own lips. "Uh…so anyway…" his expression suddenly fell and hardened, as memories of the few hours before, returned to him. "I…I almost…"

"Bit her?" Yugi finished, entirely serious with the topic and not at all teasing or joking about it as he had been the first time they had had this conversation.

Yami slumped in defeat, before running a hand through his wild hair. "Yeah…" he paused for a minute as he gathered his thoughts and then continued. "It was more intense this time…I was on the verge of actually blacking out!"

"And Tea…?"

"She doesn't know…she doesn't have a clue how close I had came to almost killing her tonight. Fuck!" Yami dug his thumb and index finger into his eyes, breathing heavily as though he were on the verge of having a severe panic attack. "Gods I could have…"

"Yami, I've told you before…it's not like feeding," Yugi explained calmly, hating to see his brother like this. "Actually…it's…well I don't know how to tell you this," Yugi bit his lip uncomfortably when Yami turned his head sideways to meet his gaze. It was like explaining sex to an innocent. "Well…it's mating."

Yami frowned with his gaze narrowed on the coffee table, "Mating?"

Yugi scratched the back of his head, and refused to look Yami in the eye. He had already explained some of this to Tea before, but explaining it to Yami was a little bit different. "It's when-"

"I know what it is Yugi, it was explained to us at the same time remember?" Yami responded gruffly with a small roll of his eyes.

"Well then you should know that it's our kind's natural way of 'claiming' our territory…that's all your body wants to do to Tea," Yugi answered in a tone that made it sound like it wasn't such a big deal.

Yami narrowed his gaze, "I don't know about that Yugi, you know about my past…"

"Yeah I do…but you love Tea, you'd never hurt her, you know that."

Yami smirked without humour before turning his gaze away bitterly, "_Yeah,_ my sensible _human side_ is in love with Tea."

"Well that's all that matters," Yugi responded as he ate another blood soaked Oreo.

"I sat for an entire hour, trying to get the idea out of my head on what her blood tastes like…" Yami added softly, which seemed to generate a tense atmosphere around them, as Yugi momentarily fell into silence. "I eventually had to leave the room, because I couldn't stop staring at her neck…and the more blood I drink to get myself out of my bloodlust haze, the more I keep finding myself comparing it to what hers might taste like."

Okay…that wasn't good, Yugi had to admit, but on the bright side, Tea was still alive.

"But not for much longer if this keeps up," Yami spoke out suddenly, _which confused Yugi as he hadn't actually voiced his thoughts_. Yami's gaze was focussed on an expensive vase across the room, but his mind was focussed completely on the situation, and he hardly seemed to be aware of anything else in the room. "If I slip even slightly with my control around her…I could never live with myself."

"Yami, you're missing the bigger picture here. Tea's still alive, because you're way stronger than you realise, both physically and emotionally so I wouldn't worry about a lack of self control. And as for your sudden interest in her blood, all I'm going to say more than ask is, 'you do know what you're _half _of, right?' And it's not only that, and…I really hate using this terminology because it seriously freaks me out, but…you've got that whole 'mating instinct' going on inside you…it's like vampiric puberty only it lasts for eternity instead of a couple of years. Have you even noticed that you're hornier than usual?"

As a matter of fact, Yami had, but he didn't want to admit it. "And…you go through this?"

Yugi half shut his eyes in a narrowed stare, "Dude, I'm going through it right now as we speak…but I suspect a _goddess_ of some sort is watching me right now and making me suffer on purpose by deliberately preventing me from getting laid!"

"Why a goddess?" Yami asked without much enthusiasm.

"Because a guy wouldn't do this, to another guy man! No matter how much they may hate him, it's all part of the guy code!"

"And why would this so called goddess, do such a thing to you?" Yami said, sounding bored.

"Because she's a man hater!"

"Yugi, as usual, you are been ridiculous…_she just hates you_…and I take it then that Razz rejected your advances?"

Yugi sighed and rolled his eyes, "I don't get it…why doesn't she want to sleep with me?"

Yami lifted his brows, "Are you been sarcastic or for real?"

"Seriously…" Yugi went on without even registering that Yami had spoken to him, "I can get almost any girl I want into the sack with me…but not this one."

"Yugi…" Yami droned.

"I mean, I managed to get her to warm up to me I think…I mean she's kind of given me the 'okay' to approach her again even though the agreement was that I was never to re-enter her life again after tonight…so I guess that's a positive…but why is there no sexual attraction?"

"Yugi-"

"I just don't understand!" Yugi all but wailed.

"Well clearly Razz carries herself with a little bit more dignity than what you're used to Yugi…in fact most virgin girls with class do," Yami explained with a roll of his eyes at his younger twin's wide eyed expression.

"So…you think she'd be the type to…like…_wait_?"

"Well Yugi, I'm hoping that for the five and a half hours that you've been on this date with her, that you'd actually know enough about her to answer that for yourself."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Yugi muttered as he slumped down in defeat. "Because she'd be the type to make me either work really hard for it on her, own terms – _not mine_…or I'd have to actually…yeah, second option is never going to happen."

"Still adamant that you're not going to get married someday?" Yami practically teased him, as he ate another Oreo, this time without the blood coating.

"Still adamant," Yugi quipped. "And kids aren't an option either."

Yami chuckled for the first time that night with genuine humour, "How do you know you haven't fathered a couple of bastards already?"

"Shut the fuck up man!" Yugi demanded a little unnerved by the idea…because there was a slight possibility. "Don't jinx shit like that!"

Yami smirked, "Why the paleness Yugi? Don't tell me you don't practice with _precautions_."

"Yeah easy for you to say, you can do whatever the fuck you like, whenever the fuck you like…who would have ever thought that getting injured in the sacks would be a benefit later on?" Yugi grumbled bitterly, and Yami despite himself, felt a light burn across his cheeks. When they were much younger, Yami had a bad training accident, which for the most part they did not talk about, in too much detail, but it was bad enough that it left him…sterile.

"Well I think Lamia took care of your problem," Yami commented as he thought back to the night she had first appeared.

"I'll never thank her for it," Yugi grumbled back.

"How is she?"

"Same as she always is; psychotic, bitchy…otherwise…annoying…Ra I hate her," Yugi growled before taking a swig of his blood.

"Why?" Yami asked in amusement.

"She's just so…I don't know what her fucking problem is with me," Yugi growled.

"Have you tried talking to each other…working out your differences?"

Yugi shot Yami a look, before growling at the coffee table like it had done him a great offence. "Talking to her; is like talking to a wild animal, chewing on the bars of its cage, and expecting it to understand you."

"You always told me that you can communicate with all creatures," Yami reminded him amusedly.

"That's not the point!" Yugi groaned. "Verbally communicating with her is impossible."

"You should try at least," Yami tried, but once Yugi flashed him another look, he decided he'd rather leave them to sort their own problems out, and not get involved.

"I um…" Yugi gulped suddenly as his body rippled with discomfort. "I need to go and…yeah you don't need me to tell you the rest," he said as he got up, and handed Yami his half filled mug.

"Do you know what's strange," Yami started, just as Yugi was about to leave the room. "Have you ever wondered why self masturbation doesn't sate the cravings all on its own? I find it pretty strange that our kind needs physical contact with someone else…even though vampires are supposed to be detached from emotional connection."

Yugi thought about it for a moment, before nodding in acknowledgement and carried on his way to own room without saying anything. _Duh Yami, you only realize that now_?

* * *

**Who's just gone off Oreos for the rest of their lives? I have a sick mind, I know!**

**Man! That was a long chapter, and my neck's aching, my eyes are burning, and the caffeine is wearing off. I've been up all night editing and painfully rewriting several of these scenes, and I can see its getting light outside right now. Yikes! **

**Okay, so anyway, I'm actually heartbroken that some of my favourite scenes had to be sacrificed, including Yugi and Razz's stroll through cemetery…(insert teary eyes)… But I know that if I had put them in, this chapter would have been just way too long! **

**But back to what was written – how many people were surprised that I actually revealed one – ONE – of Yugi's secrets? Don't worry, I've got more up my sleeve, and sorry to all my – hopefuls – there is still a major plot twist coming up, behind the reason of why Yugi turned, so don't get too excited yet…you all know how I am. And what does everyone think about Yami? Oh…and sorry Tea fans, she needed to uh… 'take a break' for a while. **

**By the way I'd like everyone to know, that there are no such things as spelling mistakes or grammatical errors…It's called Vodka creativity or Sleep deprivation grammatical inspiration… Don't worry I'll forgive your ignorance. **

**Once again a special thanks to Coka Cookie Cola for usage of her character, and RazzBerrieCharm for hers, and Toxcinity for hers. I know however, that somewhere out there in the world, the real 'Razz' is plotting my murder…sorry Razzy (if it mean's anything, I think Yugi and Razz were quite cute together.) **

**Anyway – Thank you to all who took the time to read this incredibly long chapter, and I'd love to hear what you all thought of it. Until next time – see ya! **


End file.
